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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mate — a friend
  5. tear — from crying
  6. race — the arms race
  7. drill — army training
  8. drill — a practice
  9. mate — to breed
  10. race — humankind
  11. drill — the tool
  12. race — a contest
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. mate — a partner
  17. tear — from crying
  18. mine — an explosive

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