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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. race — humankind
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. race — the arms race
  6. spell — magic
  7. charge — a price
  8. charge — electricity
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. spell — a short time
  11. saw — the tool
  12. chair — a leader
  13. wound — an injury
  14. can — to be able to
  15. can — a tin
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. saw — the tool
  19. spell — letters
  20. wound — an injury
  21. race — a contest
  22. charge — in control
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. can — a tin

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