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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: mouse · racket · saw · rest · race · band · ball · squash

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. rest — a break
  3. race — a contest
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. race — the arms race
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. band — a ring
  8. rest — what's left
  9. ball — a dance
  10. saw — the tool
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. squash — the sport
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. band — a music group
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. saw — the tool
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. rest — what's left
  20. squash — to crush
  21. race — humankind
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. ball — a great time

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