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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: bay · race · bass · mark · straw · fan · tear · kick

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. tear — to rip
  3. race — the arms race
  4. kick — in football
  5. mark — a trace
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. mark — a grade
  9. tear — from crying
  10. race — a contest
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. tear — from crying
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. race — humankind
  24. bass — low music

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