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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: calf · swing · straw · track · race · pass · stock · lie

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. lie — to recline
  3. swing — in golf
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. track — to keep track
  9. swing — to play on
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. race — the arms race
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. pass — a permit
  14. stock — shares
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. race — humankind
  17. swing — music
  18. track — a song
  19. race — a contest
  20. stock — goods
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. track — a path

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