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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 120 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: nail · field · cue · press · race · coach · racket · content

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  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 — humankind
  2. cue — a signal
  3. field — for sport
  4. cue — for pool
  5. race — the arms race
  6. press — newspapers
  7. press — to push
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. content — the amount
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. press — a publisher
  15. race — a contest
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. content — happy
  19. field — farmland
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. cue — a hint
  23. field — a subject
  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