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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. lie — to recline
  3. can — to be able to
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. can — a tin
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. can — a tin
  14. race — humankind
  15. band — a ring
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. race — the arms race
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. band — a music group
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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