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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. track — to keep track
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. bass — the fish
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. fork — in a road
  8. race — the arms race
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. race — a contest
  12. cue — for pool
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. rush — hurry
  17. track — a path
  18. cue — a signal
  19. race — humankind
  20. bass — low music
  21. band — a music group
  22. track — a song
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. cue — a hint

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