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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: date · bowl · racket · current · race · last · wake · leaves

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. race — a contest
  3. last — final
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. race — humankind
  6. last — to go on
  7. wake — a trail
  8. last — finally
  9. current — electric
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. current — happening now
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. current — of water
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. race — the arms race
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. date — the fruit

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