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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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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: staff · racket · lie · race · band · snap · straw · current

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. staff — a stick
  3. band — a music group
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. race — humankind
  6. race — a contest
  7. current — happening now
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. snap — to click
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. staff — employees
  16. band — a ring
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. current — electric
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. staff — employees
  22. lie — to recline
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. current — of water

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