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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. shower — rain
  3. race — a contest
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. rush — hurry
  6. court — for sport
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. race — the arms race
  9. mate — a partner
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. court — of a king
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. race — humankind
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. court — of law
  20. mate — a friend
  21. shower — to wash
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. jam — in traffic

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