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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 116 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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. drill — a practice
  3. band — a music group
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. snap — to click
  6. race — humankind
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. band — a ring
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. bulb — for light
  13. drill — the tool
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. rush — hurry
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. race — a contest
  23. race — the arms race
  24. drill — army training

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