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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. race — a contest
  5. cue — for pool
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. court — of a king
  8. spell — a short time
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. scale — size or range
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. spell — magic
  14. spell — letters
  15. court — of law
  16. cue — a hint
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. court — for sport
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. cue — a signal
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. scale — in music
  24. race — the arms race

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