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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. pop — music
  3. kick — in football
  4. race — humankind
  5. net — in sport
  6. pop — to visit
  7. race — the arms race
  8. race — a contest
  9. capital — a city
  10. tear — from crying
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. mug — to rob
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. tear — from crying
  15. net — after costs
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. capital — money
  18. mug — a face
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. net — for catching
  21. pop — soda
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. mug — a cup
  24. patient — a sick person

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