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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 116 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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. bound — obliged
  5. rush — hurry
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. race — humankind
  8. race — the arms race
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. bound — tied together
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. lean — thin
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. hand — in cards
  16. shower — to wash
  17. bound — certain
  18. hand — help
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. lean — to bend
  21. shower — rain
  22. race — a contest
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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