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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: race · content · season · plane · cabinet · cap · straw · stick

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. cap — of ice
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. race — humankind
  6. season — in sport
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. cap — a hat
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. race — a contest
  12. race — the arms race
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. plane — a tool
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. season — of the year
  18. content — happy
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. cap — a lid
  24. content — the amount

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