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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. race — humankind
  9. race — a contest
  10. race — the arms race
  11. rock — a stone
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. rock — music
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. cold — an illness
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. temple — a place of worship

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