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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  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. race — the arms race
  2. foot — a measure
  3. race — a contest
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. clip — to cut
  8. file — a tool
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. clip — for paper
  13. file — a document
  14. present — the time now
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. present — there
  17. deal — to handle
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. present — a gift
  22. file — a line of people
  23. clip — a video
  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