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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 120 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: bear · band · sharp · rest · race · racket · craft · row

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. band — a ring
  3. race — humankind
  4. bear — the animal
  5. race — a contest
  6. craft — boats
  7. craft — a skill
  8. sharp — clever
  9. rest — what's left
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. row — to paddle
  15. rest — a break
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. row — a line
  18. band — a music group
  19. rest — what's left
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. race — the arms race
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. bear — the animal
  24. racket — for tennis

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