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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.

Words on the sheet
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: racket · bass · court · root · race · track · stock · band

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. track — a path
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. band — a ring
  6. race — humankind
  7. stock — goods
  8. track — a song
  9. court — of a king
  10. race — a contest
  11. root — of a plant
  12. court — of law
  13. bass — the fish
  14. root — the cause
  15. track — to keep track
  16. stock — shares
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. court — for sport
  21. race — the arms race
  22. root — of a word
  23. bass — low music
  24. band — a rubber band

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