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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. bound — tied together
  3. mate — to breed
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mate — a partner
  7. race — humankind
  8. cue — a hint
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. shower — to wash
  12. bound — certain
  13. mate — a friend
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. race — the arms race
  17. shower — rain
  18. bound — obliged
  19. race — a contest
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. cue — for pool
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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