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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. race — the arms race
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. tear — from crying
  6. press — a publisher
  7. tear — from crying
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. press — newspapers
  10. hand — in cards
  11. tear — to rip
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. hand — help
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — tied together
  17. race — humankind
  18. bound — certain
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. race — a contest
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. press — to push

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