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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 120 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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. race — humankind
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. tear — from crying
  5. mine — for digging
  6. tear — from crying
  7. degree — from a university
  8. degree — an amount
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. race — a contest
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. race — the arms race
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. pit — in a race
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. degree — temperature
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. pit — a hole
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. pitcher — a jug

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