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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: bore · straw · cold · leaves · foot · firm · race · spell

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. firm — steady
  3. firm — a company
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. foot — a measure
  8. race — a contest
  9. race — humankind
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. spell — magic
  12. cold — not warm
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. firm — decided
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. spell — a short time
  18. spell — letters
  19. bore — to tire
  20. cold — an illness
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. bore — to drill
  24. leaves — lets stay

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