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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: cue · lash · last · race · straw · bound · current · bass

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. last — finally
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. bass — the fish
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. current — happening now
  9. current — of water
  10. race — the arms race
  11. last — final
  12. bound — tied together
  13. cue — a signal
  14. bass — low music
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. race — humankind
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. bound — obliged
  19. cue — a hint
  20. current — electric
  21. bound — certain
  22. last — to go on
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. race — a contest

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