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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. track — a song
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. track — a path
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. race — the arms race
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. tear — to rip
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — employees
  14. march — the month
  15. tear — from crying
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. march — music
  18. race — a contest
  19. staff — a stick
  20. march — the month
  21. tear — from crying
  22. track — to keep track
  23. race — humankind
  24. fan — to cool the air

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