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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: bay · race · fall · roll · pitch · bark · season · cap

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. fall — to drop
  3. race — the arms race
  4. season — in sport
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bark — to shout
  7. cap — a hat
  8. season — of the year
  9. cap — of ice
  10. fall — to drop
  11. race — humankind
  12. roll — a list
  13. cap — a lid
  14. pitch — completely
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. roll — a cake
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. race — a contest

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