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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. present — the time now
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. race — a contest
  5. present — a gift
  6. hand — help
  7. hand — in cards
  8. race — the arms race
  9. rock — a stone
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. shower — rain
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. toast — bread
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. ball — a great time
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. ball — a dance
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. present — there
  22. race — humankind
  23. rock — music
  24. shower — to wash

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