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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: coach · race · chest · scale · cue · last · band · board

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. cue — for pool
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. last — finally
  5. race — the arms race
  6. cue — a signal
  7. last — final
  8. band — a music group
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. board — a committee
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. cue — a hint
  13. race — a contest
  14. scale — in music
  15. board — to get on
  16. chest — of your body
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. race — humankind
  19. chest — a box
  20. band — a ring
  21. chest — of your body
  22. scale — size or range
  23. last — to go on
  24. band — a rubber band

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