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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: race · season · last · bay · tube · racket · pop · straw

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. last — final
  4. pop — soda
  5. tube — a container
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. season — in sport
  10. tube — the underground
  11. pop — music
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. season — of the year
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. last — finally
  17. last — to go on
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. race — a contest
  21. race — humankind
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. pop — to visit

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