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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: club · race · season · coach · rush · pitch · shower · capital

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. season — in sport
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. season — of the year
  5. club — for dancing
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. race — humankind
  12. shower — to wash
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rush — hurry
  15. club — a group
  16. shower — rain
  17. race — the arms race
  18. capital — a city
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. capital — money
  21. race — a contest
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. club — for golf
  24. pitch — completely

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