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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: coach · track · tube · squash · staff · sharp · race · date

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. tube — the underground
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. race — humankind
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. squash — the sport
  9. squash — to crush
  10. race — a contest
  11. track — a song
  12. date — the fruit
  13. sharp — clever
  14. staff — employees
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. race — the arms race
  18. track — to keep track
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. tube — a container
  21. track — a path
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — a stick
  24. coach — a trainer

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