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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. fine — all right
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. race — the arms race
  7. tear — from crying
  8. file — a line of people
  9. fork — in a road
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. tear — from crying
  12. race — a contest
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. fine — high quality
  15. race — humankind
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. cell — in biology
  18. file — a document
  19. file — a tool
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. cell — a phone
  24. safe — out of danger

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