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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 116 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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. race — a contest
  5. pit — in a race
  6. cue — for pool
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. cue — a signal
  9. race — humankind
  10. rash — hasty
  11. present — there
  12. root — of a plant
  13. cue — a hint
  14. root — of a word
  15. pit — a hole
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. rash — a series
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. race — the arms race
  21. present — a gift
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. present — the time now
  24. root — the cause

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