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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: rock · ground · key · leaves · wake · rash · club · race

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. key — in music
  3. ground — the earth
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. club — for golf
  6. wake — a trail
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. race — humankind
  10. rash — a series
  11. rock — music
  12. club — for dancing
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. key — the most important part
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. rash — hasty
  17. key — for a lock
  18. race — a contest
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. race — the arms race
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. rock — a stone
  23. ground — crushed
  24. ground — a position

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