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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. dip — to sink
  9. march — the month
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. race — humankind
  12. net — after costs
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. tube — a container
  15. race — the arms race
  16. march — the month
  17. tube — the underground
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. net — in sport
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. march — music
  23. race — a contest
  24. net — for catching

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