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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. cap — a lid
  6. cell — a phone
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. cap — a hat
  9. race — a contest
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. key — in music
  12. pass — a permit
  13. cap — of ice
  14. race — humankind
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. wake — a trail
  17. key — for a lock
  18. key — the most important part
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. race — the arms race
  24. cell — in biology

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