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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: ruler · straw · race · bat · rest · vault

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. race — a contest
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. rest — what's left
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. race — humankind
  8. vault — a safe
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. rest — a break
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. rest — what's left
  17. race — the arms race
  18. ruler — a monarch

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