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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: race · scale · rock · swing · game · nail · season · wake

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. swing — music
  3. wake — a trail
  4. scale — in music
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. swing — in golf
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. rock — music
  10. race — humankind
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. race — a contest
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. scale — size or range
  16. swing — to play on
  17. game — a match
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. season — in sport
  21. game — wild animals
  22. rock — a stone
  23. race — the arms race
  24. season — of the year

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