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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: suit · clip · shower · mine · bear · bay · race · ground

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. shower — rain
  4. bear — the animal
  5. clip — for paper
  6. bear — the animal
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. race — a contest
  9. clip — to cut
  10. ground — a position
  11. mine — for digging
  12. shower — to wash
  13. clip — a video
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. race — the arms race
  16. ground — the earth
  17. suit — in cards
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. race — humankind
  20. ground — crushed
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. suit — to fit

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