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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: straw · bat · board · bowl · pass · race · game · cap

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. board — a committee
  12. race — a contest
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. pass — a permit
  17. race — the arms race
  18. cap — a lid
  19. game — wild animals
  20. board — to get on
  21. cap — of ice
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. game — a match
  24. cap — a hat

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