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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: board · ball · bass · straw · race · suit · hand · wound

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. board — to get on
  3. race — a contest
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. suit — clothes
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bass — the fish
  9. ball — a dance
  10. hand — in cards
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. bass — low music
  15. board — a committee
  16. hand — help
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. wound — an injury
  21. ball — a great time
  22. race — humankind
  23. suit — to fit
  24. race — the arms race

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