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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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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: game · tear · race · chair · date · bay

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. race — the arms race
  4. game — wild animals
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. game — a match
  8. tear — from crying
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. race — a contest
  11. date — the fruit
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. tear — to rip
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. race — humankind
  18. bay — a horse colour

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