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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. race — the arms race
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. object — to protest
  5. court — of law
  6. squash — the sport
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. game — wild animals
  9. race — a contest
  10. object — a thing
  11. cap — a hat
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. cap — of ice
  14. cap — a lid
  15. last — finally
  16. last — to go on
  17. object — an aim
  18. court — for sport
  19. game — a match
  20. court — of a king
  21. squash — to crush
  22. last — final
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. game — a kind of play

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