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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: bear · clip · race · bowl · deal · bay

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. race — humankind
  3. clip — for paper
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. clip — to cut
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bear — the animal
  10. clip — a video
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. deal — to handle
  14. race — a contest
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. race — the arms race
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. bear — the animal

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