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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. race — humankind
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. mate — a partner
  5. wound — an injury
  6. lean — to bend
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. race — a contest
  9. mate — a friend
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. toast — bread
  15. race — the arms race
  16. scale — in music
  17. lean — thin
  18. bulb — for light
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. mate — to breed
  23. bulb — for light
  24. scale — size or range

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