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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: mine · race · fan · bay · mark · ball · bark · arm

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. mark — a trace
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. ball — a dance
  9. ball — a great time
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. bark — to shout
  12. race — humankind
  13. mark — a grade
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. mine — for digging
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. race — the arms race
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. race — a contest

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