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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: race · net · ground · club · band · fan · last · lash

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. last — final
  3. club — for golf
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. band — a music group
  6. net — for catching
  7. net — after costs
  8. ground — the earth
  9. last — finally
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. ground — crushed
  12. last — to go on
  13. race — the arms race
  14. net — in sport
  15. club — a group
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. race — a contest
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. band — a ring
  20. race — humankind
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. club — for dancing
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. lash — an eyelash

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