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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. tear — from crying
  3. scale — in music
  4. race — humankind
  5. scale — size or range
  6. rock — music
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. staff — employees
  9. rest — what's left
  10. race — a contest
  11. swing — music
  12. swing — to play on
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. wind — moving air
  16. staff — a stick
  17. tear — from crying
  18. swing — in golf
  19. wind — moving air
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. staff — employees
  22. rest — a break
  23. tear — to rip
  24. rock — a stone

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