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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: race · bass · squash · wave · wound · drill · game · deal

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. game — a match
  3. race — humankind
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. game — wild animals
  7. race — the arms race
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. wound — an injury
  10. deal — to handle
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. drill — the tool
  13. squash — the sport
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. wound — an injury
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. bass — the fish
  18. squash — to crush
  19. drill — a practice
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. race — a contest
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. bass — low music

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