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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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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: kid · race · season · track · straw · band · dip · bass

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. bass — low music
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. band — a ring
  6. season — in sport
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. dip — to sink
  10. race — a contest
  11. track — to keep track
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. track — a song
  15. season — of the year
  16. kid — child
  17. race — the arms race
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. band — a music group
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. bass — the fish
  22. kid — to tease
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. race — humankind

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