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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. swing — to play on
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. charge — electricity
  5. tear — from crying
  6. race — humankind
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. swing — music
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. bat — the animal
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. race — the arms race
  13. charge — in control
  14. tear — to rip
  15. swing — in golf
  16. charge — a price
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. race — a contest

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