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

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. race — a contest
  5. bound — certain
  6. race — humankind
  7. bound — tied together
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rock — music
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. track — a path
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. track — a song
  16. bound — obliged
  17. rash — a series
  18. race — the arms race
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. squash — the sport
  22. rock — a stone
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. track — to keep track

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