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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: squash · face · pop · bound · race · date · straw · coach

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. race — the arms race
  3. pop — music
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. squash — the sport
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. race — humankind
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. pop — soda
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bound — certain
  12. bound — obliged
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. face — to point toward
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. face — to confront
  18. pop — to visit
  19. squash — to crush
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. date — the fruit
  23. race — a contest
  24. face — part of the head

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