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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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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: tear · safe · race · swing · firm · stick · hide · straw

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. swing — to play on
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. race — humankind
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. firm — a company
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. race — a contest
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. firm — decided
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. tear — from crying
  15. swing — in golf
  16. race — the arms race
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. firm — steady
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. tear — from crying
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. swing — music

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