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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. field — a subject
  3. race — the arms race
  4. spell — letters
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. tear — from crying
  7. firm — decided
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. firm — steady
  10. spell — magic
  11. plane — a tool
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. firm — a company
  14. tear — from crying
  15. race — humankind
  16. spell — a short time
  17. race — a contest
  18. field — for sport
  19. field — farmland
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. tear — to rip
  22. rush — hurry
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. rush — a thrill

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