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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. bulb — for light
  3. mug — to rob
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. march — the month
  6. race — humankind
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. march — the month
  9. mug — a face
  10. object — an aim
  11. tear — to rip
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. hand — in cards
  15. bulb — for light
  16. tear — from crying
  17. march — music
  18. race — a contest
  19. chair — a leader
  20. race — the arms race
  21. object — to protest
  22. mug — a cup
  23. object — a thing
  24. hand — help

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