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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. game — wild animals
  5. saw — the tool
  6. cap — a lid
  7. game — a match
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. ground — the earth
  13. cap — of ice
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. saw — the tool
  16. race — humankind
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. race — the arms race
  20. cap — a hat
  21. ground — crushed
  22. race — a contest
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. ground — a position

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