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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 · lean · bat · bore · bay · rash · clip · cue

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. cue — for pool
  3. lean — to bend
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. clip — to cut
  6. bat — the animal
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. bore — to tire
  9. race — humankind
  10. clip — a video
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. race — the arms race
  13. rash — a series
  14. cue — a hint
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. lean — thin
  19. cue — a signal
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. clip — for paper
  22. bore — to drill
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. race — a contest

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