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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 120 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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. tube — the underground
  4. wind — moving air
  5. race — humankind
  6. face — to point toward
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. race — the arms race
  11. face — part of the head
  12. wind — moving air
  13. face — to confront
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. saw — the tool
  18. tube — a container
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. race — a contest
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. saw — the tool

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