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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 120 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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. race — humankind
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. wind — moving air
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. bore — to tire
  14. race — a contest
  15. race — the arms race
  16. wake — a trail
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. bore — to drill
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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