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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: race · fall · coach · bank · game · stick · hand · fine

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. bank — for money
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. game — a match
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. race — humankind
  10. bank — for money
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. hand — in cards
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — the season
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fine — high quality
  18. bank — of a river
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. hand — help
  21. race — a contest
  22. fine — all right
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. game — wild animals

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