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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: racket · kid · hand · stand · bass · race · ball · lash

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. bass — low music
  3. ball — a dance
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. ball — a great time
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. race — a contest
  9. kid — to tease
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. race — humankind
  13. bass — the fish
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. race — the arms race
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. kid — child
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. hand — help
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. stand — to bear
  24. stand — on your feet

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