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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: snap · race · bark · swing · game · suit · coach · mark

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. race — the arms race
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. swing — music
  8. race — a contest
  9. suit — in cards
  10. bark — to shout
  11. mark — a grade
  12. suit — clothes
  13. game — wild animals
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. snap — to click
  17. mark — a trace
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. swing — to play on
  22. race — humankind
  23. swing — in golf
  24. game — a match

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