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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: can · race · bay · season · wind · sharp · bulb · bowl

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. race — a contest
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. season — in sport
  5. wind — moving air
  6. sharp — clever
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. race — humankind
  9. can — to be able to
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. season — of the year
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. can — a tin
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. race — the arms race
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. can — a tin
  23. wind — moving air
  24. sharp — with an edge

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