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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 120 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 · pop · wound · racket · can · pass · foot · wind

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. foot — a measure
  3. wound — an injury
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. wound — an injury
  6. pop — soda
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. can — a tin
  9. pop — to visit
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. pop — music
  12. race — the arms race
  13. pass — a permit
  14. can — to be able to
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. race — a contest
  17. wind — moving air
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. can — a tin
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. race — humankind
  24. pass — to spend time

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