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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: race · rule · straw · mouse · pound · craft · bat · tube

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. pound — a weight
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. race — humankind
  8. craft — a skill
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. rule — a law
  12. bat — the animal
  13. race — a contest
  14. craft — boats
  15. tube — a container
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. rule — government
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. race — the arms race
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. tube — the underground
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. craft — a handicraft

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