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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: bear · tube · bay · bass · bat · coach · pop · race

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. pop — music
  4. bass — the fish
  5. tube — a container
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. bat — the animal
  8. race — the arms race
  9. bear — the animal
  10. race — a contest
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. bass — low music
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. pop — to visit
  17. race — humankind
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bear — the animal
  24. pop — soda

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