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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: sharp · coach · roll · spring · cell · race · rock · stand

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. rock — a stone
  5. cell — a phone
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. roll — a list
  8. race — a contest
  9. race — the arms race
  10. roll — a cake
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. cell — in biology
  13. spring — a coil
  14. stand — to bear
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. spring — of water
  20. spring — the season
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. rock — music
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. sharp — clever

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