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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 · mark · mine · cue · band · season · bear · club

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. club — for golf
  3. race — a contest
  4. band — a ring
  5. mark — a grade
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. cue — a hint
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mine — for digging
  10. bear — the animal
  11. band — a music group
  12. cue — a signal
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. race — the arms race
  15. season — in sport
  16. mark — a trace
  17. club — a group
  18. bear — the animal
  19. club — for dancing
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. season — of the year
  23. cue — for pool
  24. band — a rubber band

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