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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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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: saw · kid · race · club · rush · wake · mark · bowl

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. club — for golf
  3. club — a group
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. saw — the tool
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. kid — child
  12. mark — a grade
  13. saw — the tool
  14. race — a contest
  15. race — humankind
  16. kid — to tease
  17. race — the arms race
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. mark — a trace
  20. wake — a trail
  21. club — for dancing
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. rush — hurry
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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