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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: ball · bear · straw · bound · race · march · saw · coach

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bound — obliged
  5. race — humankind
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. race — a contest
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bound — certain
  10. ball — a dance
  11. race — the arms race
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. ball — a great time
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. march — music
  19. march — the month
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bear — the animal
  22. saw — the tool
  23. march — the month
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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