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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 120 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: rock · race · wind · bay · racket · rash · mug · bound

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. race — humankind
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bound — certain
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bound — tied together
  9. rock — a stone
  10. rock — music
  11. mug — a cup
  12. mug — to rob
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rash — a series
  15. mug — a face
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. race — a contest
  18. race — the arms race
  19. wind — moving air
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. rash — hasty

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