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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. race — a contest
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. net — for catching
  10. net — after costs
  11. pass — a permit
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. perch — the fish
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. net — in sport
  18. ball — a dance
  19. rule — a law
  20. rule — government
  21. race — the arms race
  22. ball — a great time
  23. dip — to sink
  24. dip — a sauce

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