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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. race — a contest
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. stand — to bear
  6. spring — the season
  7. lie — to recline
  8. race — the arms race
  9. scale — size or range
  10. spring — a coil
  11. spring — of water
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. scale — in music
  14. tear — from crying
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. tear — from crying
  18. race — humankind
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. can — to be able to
  21. can — a tin
  22. rash — a series
  23. rash — hasty
  24. tear — to rip

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