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

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. tear — from crying
  4. band — a music group
  5. present — there
  6. suit — clothes
  7. present — the time now
  8. tear — from crying
  9. present — a gift
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — to drop
  12. race — a contest
  13. fall — the season
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. race — humankind
  16. band — a ring
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. tear — to rip
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. suit — in cards
  22. suit — to fit
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. race — the arms race

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