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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: toast · racket · wave · bat · race · plane · coach · march

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. march — the month
  9. toast — bread
  10. race — the arms race
  11. race — a contest
  12. march — the month
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. bat — the animal
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. march — music
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. plane — a tool

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