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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 116 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: bay · race · rock · racket · wound · mug · scale · pop

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. rock — music
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. wound — an injury
  6. race — humankind
  7. pop — to visit
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. mug — a face
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. scale — size or range
  12. race — the arms race
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. wound — an injury
  15. mug — a cup
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. mug — to rob
  18. rock — a stone
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. scale — in music
  21. race — a contest
  22. pop — music
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. pop — soda

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