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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: land · squash · race · coach · last · straw · date · staff

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. date — the fruit
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. squash — to crush
  5. land — ground
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. race — humankind
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. squash — the sport
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. staff — employees
  14. race — the arms race
  15. race — a contest
  16. land — a country
  17. last — to go on
  18. land — to come down
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. staff — employees
  21. last — finally
  22. last — final
  23. staff — a stick
  24. squash — the vegetable

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