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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: rest · nail · band · coach · last · race · club · racket

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. rest — what's left
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. band — a music group
  6. rest — what's left
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. club — a group
  10. race — a contest
  11. band — a ring
  12. club — for dancing
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. last — finally
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. last — final
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. race — humankind
  20. rest — a break
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. race — the arms race
  23. last — to go on
  24. club — for golf

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