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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: snap · bark · wound · mug · race · coach · kick · court

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. court — of law
  3. race — humankind
  4. mug — a cup
  5. court — of a king
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. mug — a face
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. snap — to click
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. court — for sport
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. bark — to shout
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. race — the arms race
  19. kick — in football
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. mug — to rob
  24. coach — a trainer

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