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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 116 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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. tube — a container
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. track — to keep track
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. race — the arms race
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. track — a path
  9. cue — for pool
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. race — a contest
  13. rush — hurry
  14. rash — a series
  15. rash — hasty
  16. tube — the underground
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. cue — a signal
  20. net — after costs
  21. cue — a hint
  22. track — a song
  23. net — for catching
  24. race — humankind

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