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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. tear — from crying
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. file — a tool
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hand — help
  11. race — the arms race
  12. squash — the sport
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. race — a contest
  15. file — a line of people
  16. tear — from crying
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. file — a document
  20. pass — a permit
  21. race — humankind
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. tear — to rip
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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