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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fall · coach · race · wind · nail · chair · track · stick

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. fall — the season
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. fall — to drop
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. track — a path
  9. race — humankind
  10. chair — a leader
  11. race — the arms race
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. track — a song
  15. track — to keep track
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. fall — to drop
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. race — a contest
  23. wind — moving air
  24. stick — a piece of wood

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com