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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. race — a contest
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. race — humankind
  5. cell — a phone
  6. drill — the tool
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — to rip
  9. tear — from crying
  10. drill — a practice
  11. cell — in biology
  12. wake — a trail
  13. drill — army training
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. pass — a permit
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. wake — to stop sleeping

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