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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 · arm · straw · wake · safe · bat · hide · wind

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. wind — moving air
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. race — a contest
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. race — the arms race
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. wind — moving air
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. wake — a trail
  24. race — humankind

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