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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. tear — from crying
  5. race — the arms race
  6. key — the most important part
  7. key — in music
  8. row — to paddle
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. key — for a lock
  12. tear — to rip
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. wound — an injury
  15. tear — from crying
  16. race — a contest
  17. race — humankind
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. pop — music
  20. pop — soda
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. wound — an injury
  24. pop — to visit

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