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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — a position
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. race — the arms race
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. stand — to bear
  8. cell — a phone
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. race — a contest
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. ground — the earth
  13. ball — a dance
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. race — humankind
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. ball — a great time
  21. saw — the tool
  22. cell — in biology
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. stand — on your feet

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