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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 116 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: safe · present · bark · track · ball · race · wind · kick

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. track — to keep track
  4. present — there
  5. race — a contest
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. race — the arms race
  9. present — a gift
  10. bark — to shout
  11. ball — a dance
  12. wind — moving air
  13. present — the time now
  14. wind — moving air
  15. track — a song
  16. track — a path
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. race — humankind
  24. kick — in football

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