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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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. race — a contest
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. cell — a phone
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. mug — to rob
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. cell — in biology
  10. mug — a face
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. race — humankind
  13. hand — help
  14. mug — a cup
  15. pop — music
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. pop — soda
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. pop — to visit
  23. race — the arms race
  24. trunk — of a tree

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