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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 120 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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. suit — to fit
  3. pass — a permit
  4. pop — music
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. race — humankind
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. race — a contest
  9. pop — to visit
  10. squash — the sport
  11. tear — to rip
  12. suit — clothes
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. game — a match
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. tear — from crying
  17. game — wild animals
  18. suit — in cards
  19. race — the arms race
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. squash — to crush
  23. tear — from crying
  24. mine — for digging

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