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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. drill — a practice
  3. race — humankind
  4. tear — to rip
  5. tear — from crying
  6. spell — magic
  7. drill — the tool
  8. spell — letters
  9. tear — from crying
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. drill — army training
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. race — a contest
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. spell — a short time
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. race — the arms race

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