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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. shower — rain
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. present — the time now
  5. race — the arms race
  6. present — there
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. shower — to wash
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. race — a contest
  11. firm — decided
  12. lie — to recline
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. bulb — for light
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. firm — a company
  17. present — a gift
  18. bulb — for light
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. firm — steady
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. race — humankind
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. cell — in biology

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