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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 116 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 · cue · deal · straw · rock · present · bore · cold

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. rock — music
  3. present — a gift
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. cue — for pool
  6. cue — a hint
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. bore — to tire
  9. deal — to handle
  10. present — there
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. present — the time now
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. race — a contest
  15. race — humankind
  16. bore — to drill
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. rock — a stone
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. cold — an illness
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. cue — a signal
  24. cold — not warm

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