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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: band · suit · cap · race · club · snap

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. race — the arms race
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. club — a group
  6. cap — a hat
  7. suit — to fit
  8. cap — of ice
  9. snap — to click
  10. race — humankind
  11. band — a music group
  12. cap — a lid
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. club — for golf
  15. suit — in cards
  16. band — a ring
  17. suit — clothes
  18. race — a contest

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