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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. rush — hurry
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. tear — to rip
  5. race — a contest
  6. club — for golf
  7. bound — certain
  8. bound — tied together
  9. cue — a hint
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. race — the arms race
  12. tear — from crying
  13. cue — for pool
  14. club — a group
  15. roll — a cake
  16. roll — a list
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. cue — a signal
  21. club — for dancing
  22. race — humankind
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. bound — obliged

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