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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: wound · toast · race · arm · bay · object · straw · lean

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. lean — thin
  4. object — to protest
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. lean — to bend
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. race — humankind
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. toast — bread
  16. object — an aim
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. race — the arms race
  20. object — a thing
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. wound — an injury
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. arm — part of the body

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