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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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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: band · key · race · tear · pop · bay · nail · present

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. race — the arms race
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. race — humankind
  5. tear — from crying
  6. key — in music
  7. present — there
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. band — a ring
  10. pop — soda
  11. tear — from crying
  12. present — the time now
  13. pop — music
  14. band — a music group
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. key — the most important part
  17. key — for a lock
  18. present — a gift
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. pop — to visit
  24. tear — to rip

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