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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: mug · race · straw · suit · wound · court · spell · saw

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. spell — a short time
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. race — humankind
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. race — a contest
  7. court — for sport
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. wound — an injury
  10. court — of law
  11. suit — in cards
  12. spell — magic
  13. court — of a king
  14. race — the arms race
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. spell — letters
  17. saw — the tool
  18. suit — to fit
  19. saw — the tool
  20. mug — a cup
  21. wound — an injury
  22. mug — to rob
  23. suit — clothes
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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