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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. tube — a container
  3. race — humankind
  4. race — a contest
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. pound — a weight
  7. snap — to click
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. rest — a break
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. rush — hurry
  12. tear — to rip
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. row — a line
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tube — the underground
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. tear — from crying
  21. rest — what's left
  22. row — to paddle
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. rest — what's left

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