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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: rash · clip · race · racket · suit · field · can · band

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. field — a subject
  3. rash — a series
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. field — for sport
  6. rash — hasty
  7. band — a music group
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — a tin
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. can — to be able to
  12. suit — to fit
  13. clip — a video
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. race — humankind
  16. race — the arms race
  17. race — a contest
  18. suit — in cards
  19. clip — to cut
  20. band — a ring
  21. field — farmland
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. suit — clothes
  24. racket — for tennis

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