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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: race · chair · cap · net · pop · coach · rash · mouse

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. net — in sport
  4. pop — to visit
  5. cap — a lid
  6. net — after costs
  7. pop — music
  8. race — humankind
  9. chair — a leader
  10. cap — of ice
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. net — for catching
  13. race — the arms race
  14. rash — hasty
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. race — a contest
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. cap — a hat
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. rash — a series

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