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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. race — the arms race
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. net — for catching
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. march — the month
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bass — low music
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. march — the month
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. race — a contest
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. race — humankind
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. march — music
  19. wax — to grow
  20. bass — the fish
  21. foot — a measure
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. net — after costs
  24. net — in sport

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