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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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Word bank
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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. race — a contest
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. file — a document
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. swing — in golf
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. race — the arms race
  11. swing — music
  12. key — the most important part
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. file — a line of people
  15. cold — not warm
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. race — humankind
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. key — in music
  21. file — a tool
  22. key — for a lock
  23. swing — to play on
  24. straw — dry grass

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