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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  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. pitcher — in baseball
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. race — humankind
  4. cap — a hat
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. cap — of ice
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. drill — army training
  11. spell — letters
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. drill — the tool
  17. drill — a practice
  18. spell — magic
  19. race — the arms race
  20. cap — a lid
  21. spell — a short time
  22. race — a contest
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  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