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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 · bat · straw · last · saw · board · bulb · net

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. net — after costs
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. board — a committee
  5. race — humankind
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bat — the animal
  8. race — the arms race
  9. bulb — for light
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. bulb — for light
  12. last — finally
  13. saw — the tool
  14. net — for catching
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. net — in sport
  20. last — to go on
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. board — to get on
  23. race — a contest
  24. last — final

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