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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: fine · race · trunk · cold · mate · snap · bay · bear

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. mate — a partner
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. race — humankind
  6. mate — to breed
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. race — a contest
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. cold — not warm
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. mate — a friend
  14. bear — the animal
  15. race — the arms race
  16. fine — high quality
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. snap — to click
  24. cold — an illness

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