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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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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: present · mark · race · wind · can · chest · coach · hand

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. present — there
  3. mark — a grade
  4. chest — a box
  5. race — humankind
  6. can — to be able to
  7. wind — moving air
  8. chest — of your body
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. wind — moving air
  11. present — a gift
  12. present — the time now
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. can — a tin
  16. hand — help
  17. hand — in cards
  18. mark — a trace
  19. chest — of your body
  20. can — a tin
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. race — a contest
  24. race — the arms race

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