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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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Word bank
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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 · fine · hand · lie · toast · straw · cue · bat

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. toast — bread
  4. race — the arms race
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. cue — a hint
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. cue — a signal
  10. lie — to recline
  11. bat — the animal
  12. fine — all right
  13. hand — in cards
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. race — humankind
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. cue — for pool
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. fine — high quality
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. straw — a straw man

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