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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: bowl · ruler · lean · race · straw · ball

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  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. race — humankind
  2. ball — a great time
  3. lean — thin
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. ball — a dance
  10. lean — to bend
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. race — a contest
  14. race — the arms race
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. ruler — for measuring
  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