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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 116 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: race · bank · bat · swing · track · last · wind · straw

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. last — finally
  3. wind — moving air
  4. race — a contest
  5. bank — for money
  6. track — a path
  7. last — final
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. bank — of a river
  10. swing — to play on
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. last — to go on
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. race — the arms race
  15. swing — music
  16. wind — moving air
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. bat — the animal
  19. race — humankind
  20. track — to keep track
  21. track — a song
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bank — for money
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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