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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: bat · game · spell · wave · band · race · dip · rash

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  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. bat — for baseball
  2. race — the arms race
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. race — humankind
  5. bat — the animal
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. race — a contest
  9. spell — magic
  10. band — a music group
  11. dip — to sink
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. spell — a short time
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. band — a ring
  16. rash — hasty
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. game — a match
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. game — wild animals
  22. rash — a series
  23. spell — letters
  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