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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pass · straw · race · club · cap · stick

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. cap — a lid
  3. club — for dancing
  4. cap — a hat
  5. cap — of ice
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. race — a contest
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. club — a group
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. race — the arms race
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. pass — a permit
  14. club — for golf
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. straw — dry grass

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