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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. squash — the sport
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. race — a contest
  6. race — the arms race
  7. lean — to bend
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. wake — a trail
  11. suit — clothes
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. suit — in cards
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. suit — to fit
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. squash — to crush
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. lean — thin
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. snap — to click
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. race — humankind

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