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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: straw · club · race · temple · bowl · squash

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  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. bowl — a football final
  2. squash — the sport
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. club — for dancing
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. race — the arms race
  10. club — a group
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. race — humankind
  13. squash — to crush
  14. race — a contest
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. club — for golf
  17. bowl — to roll
  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