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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: ball · clip · lie · tear · straw · land · club · race

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. race — the arms race
  3. land — to come down
  4. race — a contest
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. club — for dancing
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. lie — to recline
  9. race — humankind
  10. tear — to rip
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. clip — to cut
  13. land — a country
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. land — ground
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. ball — a great time
  18. tear — from crying
  19. club — a group
  20. clip — a video
  21. ball — a dance
  22. club — for golf
  23. tear — from crying
  24. clip — for paper

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