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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: saw · ball · bay · clip · fine · hand · bear · race

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. race — a contest
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. saw — the tool
  6. hand — help
  7. fine — all right
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. saw — the tool
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. bear — the animal
  12. fine — high quality
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. ball — a dance
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. race — the arms race
  17. ball — a great time
  18. race — humankind
  19. clip — for paper
  20. clip — to cut
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. clip — a video
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. hand — in cards

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