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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: club · date · shower · race · straw · suit · bear · land

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. suit — to fit
  4. club — for dancing
  5. race — a contest
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. bear — the animal
  8. suit — in cards
  9. club — for golf
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. land — to come down
  12. club — a group
  13. shower — rain
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. race — humankind
  16. suit — clothes
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. land — a country
  21. shower — to wash
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. date — the fruit
  24. land — ground

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