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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: ground · race · bat · racket · stand · rest · mark · wave

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. stand — to bear
  3. ground — crushed
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. race — a contest
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. bat — the animal
  12. ground — a position
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. mark — a trace
  17. rest — a break
  18. ground — the earth
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. race — humankind
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. rest — what's left
  23. race — the arms race
  24. racket — a loud noise

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