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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 116 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: straw · object · track · rest · hand · race · ruler · wake

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. track — a song
  5. track — a path
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. race — a contest
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — a break
  10. object — an aim
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. object — to protest
  13. hand — in cards
  14. race — humankind
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. track — to keep track
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. hand — help
  20. wake — a trail
  21. rest — what's left
  22. race — the arms race
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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