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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: track · content · bay · firm · race · clip · date · bark

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. date — the fruit
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. firm — a company
  7. content — the amount
  8. track — a song
  9. clip — a video
  10. content — happy
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. track — a path
  14. track — to keep track
  15. clip — for paper
  16. firm — steady
  17. clip — to cut
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. firm — decided
  21. race — a contest
  22. bark — to shout
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. race — humankind

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