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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 120 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. race — a contest
  4. rock — a stone
  5. land — ground
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. race — humankind
  9. bark — to shout
  10. content — the amount
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. race — the arms race
  13. pop — music
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. rock — music
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. pop — soda
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. land — a country
  20. land — to come down
  21. pop — to visit
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. content — happy
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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