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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: saw · plane · suit · cold · straw · cabinet · race · rash

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. race — humankind
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. suit — clothes
  9. cold — not warm
  10. saw — the tool
  11. race — the arms race
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. suit — in cards
  18. race — a contest
  19. plane — a tool
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. saw — the tool
  22. rash — a series
  23. rash — hasty
  24. suit — to fit

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