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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: racket · band · stick · straw · firm · wound · land · race

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. band — a music group
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. band — a ring
  11. race — the arms race
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. land — a country
  14. firm — steady
  15. firm — decided
  16. wound — an injury
  17. land — ground
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. land — to come down
  20. race — a contest
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. wound — an injury
  23. firm — a company
  24. race — humankind

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