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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: hand · club · rash · mouse · net · date · safe · race

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. club — for dancing
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. club — for golf
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. net — in sport
  9. hand — in cards
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. race — humankind
  12. hand — help
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. date — the fruit
  16. rash — a series
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. net — for catching
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. club — a group
  21. race — a contest
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. net — after costs
  24. race — the arms race

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