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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  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. ball — a round shape
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. shower — to wash
  5. cold — not warm
  6. charge — in control
  7. race — a contest
  8. charge — a price
  9. can — a tin
  10. race — the arms race
  11. cold — an illness
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. ball — a great time
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. can — a tin
  16. charge — electricity
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. can — to be able to
  19. shower — rain
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. race — humankind
  23. ball — a dance
  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