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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 116 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: current · game · lean · race · rush · coach · ground · pop

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. current — happening now
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. race — the arms race
  6. game — wild animals
  7. pop — to visit
  8. current — electric
  9. ground — crushed
  10. current — of water
  11. ground — a position
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. rush — hurry
  14. lean — thin
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. lean — to bend
  17. pop — soda
  18. race — a contest
  19. pop — music
  20. game — a match
  21. race — humankind
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. ground — the earth

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