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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. file — a tool
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. pass — a permit
  6. race — humankind
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. race — a contest
  9. file — a line of people
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. race — the arms race
  15. file — a document
  16. net — after costs
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. wound — an injury
  22. net — for catching
  23. net — in sport
  24. wound — an injury

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