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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. object — a thing
  3. race — the arms race
  4. wind — moving air
  5. race — humankind
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. race — a contest
  8. clip — to cut
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. clip — for paper
  11. pound — a weight
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. dip — to sink
  14. object — to protest
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. object — an aim
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. shower — rain
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. clip — a video
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. wind — moving air
  24. shower — to wash

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