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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
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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: mark · saw · prune · mine · coach · game · pass · race

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. pass — a permit
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. saw — the tool
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. race — humankind
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. prune — to trim
  14. saw — the tool
  15. mark — a grade
  16. game — a match
  17. game — wild animals
  18. race — the arms race
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. mine — for digging
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. mark — a trace
  24. coach — a trainer

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