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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: ball · coach · cue · branch · drill · race · rash · file

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. cue — for pool
  3. file — a document
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. branch — a division
  7. drill — the tool
  8. cue — a signal
  9. drill — a practice
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. rash — hasty
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. drill — army training
  14. race — the arms race
  15. rash — a series
  16. ball — a dance
  17. ball — a great time
  18. race — a contest
  19. file — a tool
  20. cue — a hint
  21. file — a line of people
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. race — humankind

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