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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: race · ball · deal · pop · chest · tube · coach · staff

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. tube — the underground
  3. staff — employees
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. ball — a dance
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. pop — music
  9. race — humankind
  10. ball — a great time
  11. staff — employees
  12. pop — to visit
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. deal — to handle
  17. staff — a stick
  18. chest — a box
  19. race — a contest
  20. chest — of your body
  21. race — the arms race
  22. tube — a container
  23. pop — soda
  24. deal — a big deal

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