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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: bat · race · bulb · current · squash · straw · mug · ball

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. squash — to crush
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. race — the arms race
  6. bat — the animal
  7. mug — a face
  8. bulb — for light
  9. race — a contest
  10. current — electric
  11. race — humankind
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. squash — the sport
  16. mug — to rob
  17. current — happening now
  18. ball — a dance
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. current — of water
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. mug — a cup

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