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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. pop — music
  3. race — humankind
  4. pop — soda
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. tear — from crying
  7. court — for sport
  8. race — a contest
  9. court — of a king
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. court — of law
  12. last — to go on
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. last — finally
  15. tear — from crying
  16. can — a tin
  17. race — the arms race
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. pop — to visit
  20. tear — to rip
  21. can — a tin
  22. last — final
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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