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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. drill — army training
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. degree — from a university
  5. rash — hasty
  6. saw — the tool
  7. race — a contest
  8. race — humankind
  9. ball — a dance
  10. drill — a practice
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. saw — the tool
  14. ground — crushed
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. degree — temperature
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. race — the arms race
  19. drill — the tool
  20. rash — a series
  21. ground — a position
  22. ground — the earth
  23. degree — an amount
  24. ball — a great time

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