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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. drill — army training
  3. season — in sport
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. cue — a hint
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. drill — a practice
  11. cue — for pool
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. season — of the year
  14. wind — moving air
  15. drill — the tool
  16. wind — moving air
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. race — the arms race
  22. cue — a signal
  23. race — a contest
  24. deal — to handle

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