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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: race · wave · kick · ball · last · fork · swing · tube

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. last — to go on
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. race — humankind
  5. race — a contest
  6. race — the arms race
  7. swing — music
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. swing — to play on
  11. ball — a great time
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. ball — a dance
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. tube — the underground
  16. swing — in golf
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. kick — in football
  19. fork — in a road
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. last — finally
  22. tube — a container
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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