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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. game — a match
  4. race — humankind
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. rule — a law
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. ball — a great time
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. shower — to wash
  12. rule — government
  13. ball — a dance
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. shower — rain
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. game — wild animals
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. race — the arms race
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. race — a contest
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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