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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 116 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: row · wind · pass · bat · bear · race

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. bear — the animal
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. race — a contest
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. bear — the animal
  11. race — the arms race
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bat — the animal
  14. row — a line
  15. race — humankind
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. pass — a permit

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