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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  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. tear — to rip
  2. file — a line of people
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. race — humankind
  5. current — happening now
  6. capital — money
  7. current — electric
  8. chest — a box
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. file — a tool
  11. current — of water
  12. press — a publisher
  13. press — to push
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — from crying
  16. press — newspapers
  17. stand — to bear
  18. file — a document
  19. chest — of your body
  20. race — a contest
  21. capital — a city
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. chest — of your body
  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