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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: race · straw · bowl · pitcher · scale · wake · rest · pass

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. rest — what's left
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. race — the arms race
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. pass — a permit
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. race — a contest
  12. scale — size or range
  13. scale — in music
  14. wake — a trail
  15. rest — a break
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. rest — what's left
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. race — humankind

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