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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. race — a contest
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. tear — to rip
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. branch — a division
  8. face — part of the head
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. tear — from crying
  11. face — to confront
  12. pit — a hole
  13. face — to point toward
  14. race — the arms race
  15. pit — in a race
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. deal — to handle
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. race — humankind
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. deal — an agreement

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