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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. rock — music
  4. club — for dancing
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. bound — tied together
  9. face — to confront
  10. club — a group
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. face — part of the head
  14. fork — in a road
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. club — for golf
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. rock — a stone
  19. bound — certain
  20. bound — obliged
  21. face — to point toward
  22. race — a contest
  23. race — humankind
  24. bark — to shout

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