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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. race — the arms race
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. race — a contest
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. squash — the sport
  10. tear — to rip
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. net — after costs
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. land — a country
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bore — to tire
  18. tear — from crying
  19. land — ground
  20. net — for catching
  21. squash — to crush
  22. race — humankind
  23. toast — bread
  24. land — to come down

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