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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bound — obliged
  7. spring — a coil
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. race — a contest
  10. bound — certain
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. spring — the season
  14. race — humankind
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. kick — in football
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. bound — tied together
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. race — the arms race
  24. spring — 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