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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 120 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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. race — the arms race
  11. wound — an injury
  12. club — for golf
  13. wound — an injury
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. club — for dancing
  16. kick — in football
  17. race — humankind
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. club — a group
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. race — a contest
  24. safe — a strongbox

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