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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. tear — from crying
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. ground — a position
  5. club — for golf
  6. tear — from crying
  7. race — a contest
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. ground — crushed
  14. race — the arms race
  15. tear — to rip
  16. club — for dancing
  17. bear — the animal
  18. chair — a leader
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. club — a group
  21. lean — to bend
  22. bear — the animal
  23. lean — thin
  24. ground — the earth

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