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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: wave · cue · coach · march · rock · lash · cell · race

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. race — a contest
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. cue — a signal
  7. cell — in biology
  8. race — humankind
  9. march — music
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. race — the arms race
  12. march — the month
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. rock — a stone
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. rock — music
  18. cell — a phone
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. cue — a hint
  24. cue — for pool

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