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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. board — to get on
  4. tear — from crying
  5. degree — an amount
  6. tear — to rip
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. race — a contest
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. tear — from crying
  11. cell — a phone
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. degree — temperature
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. cell — in biology
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. degree — from a university
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. race — humankind
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. board — a committee
  22. lie — to recline
  23. race — the arms race
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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