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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. race — humankind
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. race — a contest
  5. firm — a company
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. squash — to crush
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. squash — the sport
  10. prune — to trim
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bat — the animal
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. race — the arms race
  16. firm — steady
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. firm — decided
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. prune — to trim
  22. plane — a tool
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. coach — a trainer

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