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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: lie · bass · race · plane · kid · ball · straw · toast

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. race — humankind
  4. race — a contest
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. bass — the fish
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. toast — bread
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. ball — a dance
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. plane — a tool
  17. ball — a great time
  18. race — the arms race
  19. kid — to tease
  20. bass — low music
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. kid — child

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