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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. race — the arms race
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. ground — the earth
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. tear — to rip
  10. ground — a position
  11. tear — from crying
  12. clip — to cut
  13. clip — for paper
  14. tear — from crying
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. race — a contest
  21. ground — crushed
  22. wind — moving air
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. clip — a video

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