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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: swing · racket · bear · bat · temple · race · wave · bay

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. race — a contest
  4. race — the arms race
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. race — humankind
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. swing — music
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. swing — in golf
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. swing — to play on
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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