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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. race — the arms race
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. race — a contest
  15. chip — for betting
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. pitch — completely
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. chip — to eat
  21. bear — the animal
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. race — humankind

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