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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. tube — a container
  4. drill — the tool
  5. race — humankind
  6. race — the arms race
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. squash — to crush
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. squash — the sport
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. race — a contest
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. drill — a practice
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. toast — bread
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. stem — to come from
  23. drill — army training
  24. bowl — to roll

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