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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: net · coach · arm · land · tube · mate · race · bulb

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. land — a country
  3. net — after costs
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. tube — a container
  7. race — the arms race
  8. mate — a friend
  9. race — humankind
  10. bulb — for light
  11. mate — a partner
  12. mate — to breed
  13. tube — the underground
  14. bulb — for light
  15. land — to come down
  16. net — in sport
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. net — for catching
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. land — ground

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