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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. game — wild animals
  3. race — the arms race
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. degree — temperature
  9. court — of a king
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. race — a contest
  12. game — a match
  13. degree — an amount
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. sharp — clever
  19. court — for sport
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. race — humankind
  22. degree — from a university
  23. court — of law
  24. sharp — with an edge

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