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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: coach · shower · race · hide · deal · bass · bat · stick

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. shower — rain
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. race — the arms race
  8. shower — to wash
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. bass — low music
  11. bat — the animal
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. race — a contest
  22. deal — to handle
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. bass — the fish

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