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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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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: foot · rush · swing · race · straw · pop · game · racket

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. game — wild animals
  3. foot — a measure
  4. swing — to play on
  5. race — a contest
  6. rush — hurry
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. pop — music
  9. swing — in golf
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. game — a match
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. race — the arms race
  16. race — humankind
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. pop — soda
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. swing — music
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. pop — to visit

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