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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: rush · straw · ground · mark · foot · race · rock · season

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. ground — the earth
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. season — of the year
  5. ground — a position
  6. rock — a stone
  7. rock — music
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. rush — hurry
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. mark — a grade
  15. ground — crushed
  16. race — a contest
  17. race — the arms race
  18. foot — a measure
  19. mark — a trace
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. season — in sport
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. straw — dry grass

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