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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 116 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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. field — farmland
  3. race — humankind
  4. content — the amount
  5. charge — a price
  6. tear — from crying
  7. press — a publisher
  8. charge — electricity
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. tear — to rip
  11. staff — employees
  12. field — for sport
  13. field — a subject
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. press — newspapers
  16. charge — in control
  17. content — happy
  18. race — a contest
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. press — to push
  21. race — the arms race
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — a stick

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