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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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Word bank
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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: row · race · land · deal · mate · key · coach · racket

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. race — the arms race
  3. key — for a lock
  4. land — ground
  5. race — humankind
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. mate — to breed
  9. deal — to handle
  10. key — the most important part
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. row — to paddle
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. land — to come down
  15. race — a contest
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. key — in music
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. row — a line
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. land — a country
  24. mate — a friend

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