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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: rule · wound · wind · bass · race · racket

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. race — a contest
  3. wind — moving air
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. wind — moving air
  9. race — humankind
  10. bass — low music
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. rule — a law
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. rule — government
  16. bass — the fish
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — an injury

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