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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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468
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: mate · drill · race · racket · arm · tube · current · track

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. track — to keep track
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. track — a song
  8. current — happening now
  9. race — a contest
  10. race — humankind
  11. tube — the underground
  12. drill — a practice
  13. track — a path
  14. mate — to breed
  15. current — of water
  16. race — the arms race
  17. mate — a partner
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. tube — a container
  20. current — electric
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. drill — the tool
  23. drill — army training
  24. mate — a friend

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