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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: cue · racket · bass · race · patient · snap · wound · safe

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. snap — to click
  3. cue — a signal
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. race — a contest
  8. race — humankind
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. bass — the fish
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. cue — for pool
  14. race — the arms race
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. cue — a hint
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. bass — low music
  20. wound — an injury
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. wound — an injury
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. patient — a sick person

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