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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: bowl · bay · tube · last · race · bass · cap · bound

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. cap — a lid
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. cap — of ice
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. race — humankind
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. bass — the fish
  10. race — the arms race
  11. cap — a hat
  12. bound — tied together
  13. tube — a container
  14. last — to go on
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. bass — low music
  17. race — a contest
  18. tube — the underground
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. last — finally
  22. bound — certain
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. bound — obliged

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