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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 120 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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. branch — a division
  4. mug — a face
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. pitch — completely
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. mug — a cup
  12. tube — a container
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. race — the arms race
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. snap — to click
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. tube — the underground
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. race — humankind
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. bat — the animal
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. mug — to rob

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