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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: sharp · press · race · bound · cabinet · wave · coach · club

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. race — humankind
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. sharp — clever
  6. club — for dancing
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bound — obliged
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. club — for golf
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. press — newspapers
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. race — the arms race
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. press — a publisher
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. press — to push
  21. bound — certain
  22. club — a group
  23. race — a contest
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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