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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: race · pit · coach · wind · mug · toast · court · object

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. court — of law
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. object — to protest
  6. pit — in a race
  7. mug — a cup
  8. court — for sport
  9. race — humankind
  10. toast — bread
  11. race — a contest
  12. object — an aim
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. mug — a face
  15. object — a thing
  16. wind — moving air
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. race — the arms race
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. court — of a king
  23. wind — moving air
  24. pit — a hole

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