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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: race · bat · bear · mate · firm · row · track · ball

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  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. bear — the animal
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. race — humankind
  4. track — a song
  5. track — to keep track
  6. mate — a friend
  7. row — a line
  8. mate — to breed
  9. firm — decided
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ball — a great time
  12. firm — a company
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. firm — steady
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bear — the animal
  17. ball — a dance
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. mate — a partner
  21. track — a path
  22. row — to paddle
  23. race — the arms race
  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