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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: drill · track · game · race · bay · jam · date · root

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. race — a contest
  7. date — the fruit
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. root — of a word
  11. track — to keep track
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. track — a song
  15. track — a path
  16. drill — a practice
  17. drill — army training
  18. game — wild animals
  19. drill — the tool
  20. root — of a plant
  21. race — humankind
  22. root — the cause
  23. race — the arms race
  24. game — a match

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