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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. mate — a friend
  3. race — the arms race
  4. charge — electricity
  5. march — the month
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. mate — to breed
  10. race — humankind
  11. march — music
  12. race — a contest
  13. rule — a law
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. charge — in control
  16. hand — help
  17. hand — in cards
  18. march — the month
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. rule — government
  21. mate — a partner
  22. charge — a price
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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