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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 120 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 don't need to ________________ round.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. swing — to play on
  3. stand — to bear
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. pop — music
  6. swing — in golf
  7. drill — a practice
  8. rule — a law
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. swing — music
  11. tear — from crying
  12. race — the arms race
  13. rule — government
  14. tear — to rip
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. drill — army training
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. drill — the tool
  19. race — humankind
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. race — a contest
  23. tear — from crying
  24. pop — soda

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