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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: last · swing · mark · row · coach · race · spell · cue

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. race — the arms race
  3. cue — for pool
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. row — to paddle
  6. race — a contest
  7. last — final
  8. spell — a short time
  9. mark — a trace
  10. swing — in golf
  11. race — humankind
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. cue — a hint
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. mark — a grade
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. last — finally
  18. swing — to play on
  19. swing — music
  20. last — to go on
  21. spell — magic
  22. row — a line
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. spell — letters

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