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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. race — the arms race
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. sharp — clever
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. race — humankind
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. game — wild animals
  12. band — a music group
  13. object — to protest
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. object — a thing
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. game — a match
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. band — a ring
  22. pound — a weight
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. race — a contest

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