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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. tear — to rip
  3. face — to confront
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. file — a document
  7. file — a tool
  8. face — part of the head
  9. tear — from crying
  10. suit — clothes
  11. ground — crushed
  12. wind — moving air
  13. race — the arms race
  14. perch — the fish
  15. race — humankind
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. ground — a position
  18. file — a line of people
  19. suit — to fit
  20. tear — from crying
  21. ground — the earth
  22. wind — moving air
  23. race — a contest
  24. face — to point toward

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