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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. race — a contest
  3. ground — a position
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. tube — the underground
  6. press — to push
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. race — the arms race
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. pound — a weight
  11. tube — a container
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. press — newspapers
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. press — a publisher
  20. ground — crushed
  21. race — humankind
  22. chair — a leader
  23. ground — the earth
  24. pound — for dogs

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