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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. firm — steady
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. present — the time now
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. drill — a practice
  7. game — wild animals
  8. present — there
  9. drill — the tool
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. firm — a company
  13. race — the arms race
  14. race — a contest
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. race — humankind
  19. drill — army training
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. firm — decided
  24. game — a match

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