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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: season · race · bay · band · leaves · track · pitcher · bowl

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. band — a music group
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. band — a ring
  9. track — a song
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. race — the arms race
  12. season — in sport
  13. track — to keep track
  14. race — humankind
  15. race — a contest
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. season — of the year
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. leaves — to go away

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