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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 sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. race — a contest
  3. race — humankind
  4. bound — tied together
  5. race — the arms race
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. cold — not warm
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — for digging
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. bass — low music
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. bound — certain
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. cold — an illness

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