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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. race — humankind
  3. cap — a lid
  4. race — a contest
  5. season — in sport
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. spell — magic
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. tear — from crying
  11. row — a line
  12. row — to paddle
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. cap — of ice
  15. spell — a short time
  16. spell — letters
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. race — the arms race
  19. season — of the year
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. tear — to rip
  23. cap — a hat
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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