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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: coach · rash · race · nail · cap · club · stick · bat

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. cap — a hat
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. bat — the animal
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. cap — of ice
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. race — humankind
  11. cap — a lid
  12. rash — hasty
  13. race — a contest
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. race — the arms race
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. club — a group
  19. rash — a series
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. club — for golf
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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