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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. mate — to breed
  4. cue — a hint
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — after costs
  7. bound — tied together
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. bound — certain
  10. shower — rain
  11. pop — to visit
  12. cue — a signal
  13. mate — a partner
  14. mate — a friend
  15. pop — music
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. bound — obliged
  18. race — humankind
  19. race — the arms race
  20. shower — to wash
  21. pop — soda
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. net — for catching
  24. cue — for pool

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