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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: shower · club · race · ruler · swing · cue · coach · date

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. race — humankind
  5. club — for dancing
  6. swing — to play on
  7. cue — a signal
  8. shower — rain
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. cue — a hint
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. race — a contest
  14. swing — in golf
  15. date — the fruit
  16. cue — for pool
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. swing — music
  19. club — for golf
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. shower — to wash
  22. race — the arms race
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. date — on the calendar

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