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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 · rest · rush · straw · cell · plane · march · cue

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. rest — what's left
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. march — music
  5. race — a contest
  6. cell — in biology
  7. rush — hurry
  8. march — the month
  9. march — the month
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. cue — a hint
  15. cell — a phone
  16. rest — what's left
  17. race — the arms race
  18. plane — a tool
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. rest — a break
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. cue — for pool
  24. cue — a signal

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