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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. row — a line
  3. tear — to rip
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bass — low music
  7. drill — a practice
  8. tear — from crying
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bass — the fish
  13. sharp — clever
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. race — the arms race
  16. drill — army training
  17. drill — the tool
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. race — a contest
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. pass — a permit
  24. race — humankind

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