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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: bat · bark · game · firm · bay · mine · band · race

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. race — a contest
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. game — wild animals
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. firm — a company
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. race — the arms race
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. firm — decided
  14. game — a match
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. race — humankind
  17. band — a music group
  18. band — a ring
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bat — the animal
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. firm — steady
  24. bat — for baseball

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