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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — to rip
  4. tear — from crying
  5. clip — for paper
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. wound — an injury
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. board — a committee
  10. clip — a video
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. board — to get on
  13. ground — a position
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. clip — to cut
  18. wound — an injury
  19. ground — the earth
  20. race — the arms race
  21. ground — crushed
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. race — humankind
  24. bowl — a dish

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