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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: nail · bark · game · date · bay · race · key · wake

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. game — a match
  3. key — for a lock
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. race — the arms race
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. wake — a trail
  11. date — the fruit
  12. game — wild animals
  13. race — humankind
  14. key — the most important part
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. race — a contest
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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