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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bark · net · race · mine · bay · season · track · straw

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  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. net — for catching
  2. race — humankind
  3. track — to keep track
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. track — a path
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. net — in sport
  9. track — a song
  10. season — of the year
  11. race — a contest
  12. race — the arms race
  13. bark — to shout
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. season — in sport
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. net — after costs
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. bark — of a tree
  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