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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 · squash · charge · rest · straw · hide · bass · wound

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. wound — an injury
  3. rest — what's left
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. race — a contest
  7. charge — a price
  8. squash — the sport
  9. charge — electricity
  10. charge — in control
  11. bass — low music
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. squash — to crush
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. rest — what's left
  18. race — the arms race
  19. wound — an injury
  20. rest — a break
  21. race — humankind
  22. bass — the fish
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. bass — the instrument

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