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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  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. tear — from crying
  2. race — the arms race
  3. file — a document
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. bass — low music
  7. tear — from crying
  8. race — humankind
  9. tear — to rip
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. pop — music
  13. race — a contest
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. toast — bread
  16. file — a line of people
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. shower — rain
  19. file — a tool
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. bass — the fish
  22. pop — soda
  23. shower — to wash
  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