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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: race · bowl · bear · dip · club · row

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. dip — to sink
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. club — for dancing
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. bear — the animal
  10. club — for golf
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. row — to paddle
  13. race — the arms race
  14. club — a group
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. row — a line
  17. race — a contest
  18. dip — a sauce

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