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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 116 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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. drill — the tool
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. fall — the season
  5. race — the arms race
  6. drill — army training
  7. pit — in a race
  8. mate — to breed
  9. march — music
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. race — a contest
  12. race — humankind
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. mate — a friend
  15. march — the month
  16. firm — steady
  17. march — the month
  18. firm — a company
  19. pit — a hole
  20. firm — decided
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. drill — a practice
  23. fall — to drop
  24. mate — a partner

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