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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. clip — to cut
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. rash — a series
  6. race — humankind
  7. date — the fruit
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. clip — for paper
  14. lie — to recline
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. clip — a video
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. race — the arms race
  22. rash — hasty
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. cabinet — ministers

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