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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. scale — size or range
  4. current — electric
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. race — humankind
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. dip — to sink
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. current — of water
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. current — happening now
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. race — a contest
  24. scale — in music

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