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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 120 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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  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. hand — in cards
  2. object — an aim
  3. fork — in a road
  4. track — to keep track
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. tear — from crying
  7. track — a song
  8. hand — help
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. rest — a break
  11. object — a thing
  12. tear — to rip
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. race — a contest
  16. object — to protest
  17. tear — from crying
  18. rest — what's left
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. rest — what's left
  22. track — a path
  23. race — humankind
  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