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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. fall — to drop
  3. race — the arms race
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. tear — from crying
  9. fall — to drop
  10. race — a contest
  11. chest — of your body
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. chest — of your body
  14. race — humankind
  15. tear — from crying
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. tear — to rip
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. chest — a box
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. fall — the season
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. jam — in traffic

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