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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
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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: race · field · tear · net · jam · object · coach · rash

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. field — farmland
  3. rash — hasty
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. race — humankind
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. race — a contest
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. net — for catching
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. object — a thing
  12. tear — to rip
  13. object — to protest
  14. rash — a series
  15. object — an aim
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. field — for sport
  19. net — after costs
  20. field — a subject
  21. race — the arms race
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — from crying
  24. jam — a tight spot

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