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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. tear — to rip
  3. field — a subject
  4. race — a contest
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. mine — for digging
  7. race — humankind
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. tear — from crying
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. present — a gift
  13. present — there
  14. pass — a permit
  15. ball — a great time
  16. field — for sport
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. ball — a dance
  19. lie — to recline
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. race — the arms race
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. tear — from crying
  24. field — farmland

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