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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. ball — a great time
  4. squash — the sport
  5. mark — a grade
  6. ball — a dance
  7. mark — a trace
  8. race — a contest
  9. current — happening now
  10. squash — to crush
  11. race — the arms race
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. current — electric
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. race — humankind
  17. present — there
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. present — the time now
  23. present — a gift
  24. current — of water

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