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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. shower — rain
  3. march — the month
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. tear — from crying
  7. march — the month
  8. club — for golf
  9. tear — from crying
  10. shower — to wash
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. stand — to bear
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. rock — music
  15. race — humankind
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. tear — to rip
  18. race — a contest
  19. club — for dancing
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. club — a group
  22. rock — a stone
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. march — music

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