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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 116 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: cell · club · mark · band · race · hand · rock · safe

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. band — a music group
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. club — for golf
  8. hand — help
  9. cell — in biology
  10. club — a group
  11. mark — a grade
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. race — the arms race
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. mark — a trace
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. cell — a phone
  19. rock — music
  20. rock — a stone
  21. race — humankind
  22. hand — in cards
  23. club — for dancing
  24. band — a ring

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