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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. court — of law
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. wound — an injury
  5. race — humankind
  6. tear — to rip
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. race — the arms race
  9. march — the month
  10. wound — an injury
  11. march — music
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. tear — from crying
  16. court — for sport
  17. court — of a king
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. race — a contest
  20. march — the month
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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