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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: coach · race · season · swing · kick · face · racket · band

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. band — a music group
  3. swing — to play on
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. race — a contest
  6. season — of the year
  7. season — in sport
  8. face — to point toward
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. swing — music
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. swing — in golf
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. band — a ring
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. race — humankind
  20. face — to confront
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. face — part of the head
  24. kick — in football

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