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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: racket · straw · date · cabinet · band · can · race · swing

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. swing — music
  7. swing — to play on
  8. date — the fruit
  9. race — humankind
  10. race — the arms race
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. race — a contest
  14. band — a music group
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. can — a tin
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. can — to be able to
  19. band — a ring
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. swing — in golf
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. can — a tin

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