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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 have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. craft — boats
  3. spell — magic
  4. race — the arms race
  5. race — humankind
  6. net — in sport
  7. race — a contest
  8. pit — a hole
  9. spell — letters
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. pit — in a race
  13. tear — to rip
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. net — for catching
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. craft — a skill
  20. spell — a short time
  21. net — after costs
  22. tear — from crying
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. hide — to keep secret

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