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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 120 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: ball · ruler · dip · shower · cabinet · race · straw · tear

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. tear — to rip
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. tear — from crying
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. shower — to wash
  12. tear — from crying
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. shower — rain
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. race — a contest
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. ball — a great time
  19. race — humankind
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. ball — a dance
  22. race — the arms race
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. dip — to sink

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