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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. mate — to breed
  3. mate — a friend
  4. mate — a partner
  5. tear — from crying
  6. race — a contest
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. race — the arms race
  11. tear — from crying
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. last — to go on
  14. craft — boats
  15. tear — to rip
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. last — finally
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. race — humankind
  20. toast — bread
  21. pitch — completely
  22. last — final
  23. craft — a skill
  24. rash — a series

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