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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. current — happening now
  3. rest — what's left
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. race — humankind
  6. march — the month
  7. race — the arms race
  8. current — of water
  9. march — music
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. swing — music
  12. swing — in golf
  13. current — electric
  14. march — the month
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. pit — a hole
  18. race — a contest
  19. pit — in a race
  20. mate — a partner
  21. mate — a friend
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — a break
  24. swing — to play on

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