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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. present — a gift
  3. race — humankind
  4. land — a country
  5. present — the time now
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. spring — the season
  9. saw — the tool
  10. race — the arms race
  11. bank — for money
  12. scale — in music
  13. bank — of a river
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. saw — the tool
  16. spring — of water
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. present — there
  19. scale — size or range
  20. land — ground
  21. spring — a coil
  22. land — to come down
  23. bank — for money
  24. straw — dry grass

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