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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: present · foot · bay · race · cold · key · wave · coach

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. race — humankind
  3. present — there
  4. cold — not warm
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. race — the arms race
  7. key — the most important part
  8. foot — a measure
  9. present — the time now
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. key — in music
  12. cold — an illness
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. key — for a lock
  22. race — a contest
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. present — a gift

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