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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 · safe · can · tube · field · racket · stick · squash

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. field — farmland
  5. field — for sport
  6. race — a contest
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. can — a tin
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. race — the arms race
  11. tube — a container
  12. field — a subject
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. race — humankind
  15. squash — the sport
  16. tube — the underground
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. squash — to crush
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. can — a tin
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. can — to be able to

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