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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. rash — a series
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. race — a contest
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. mug — a cup
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. lean — to bend
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. rash — hasty
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. race — humankind
  17. sharp — clever
  18. lean — thin
  19. race — the arms race
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. mug — a face
  24. bat — the animal

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