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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 120 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: mate · snap · ground · coach · sharp · row · race · fork

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. ground — a position
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. row — to paddle
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. race — the arms race
  9. snap — to click
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. mate — to breed
  13. fork — in a road
  14. mate — a friend
  15. row — a line
  16. sharp — clever
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. mate — a partner
  19. ground — crushed
  20. race — a contest
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. ground — the earth
  24. race — humankind

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