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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. cap — a lid
  3. mate — a partner
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. swing — in golf
  6. tear — from crying
  7. face — to confront
  8. tear — from crying
  9. swing — to play on
  10. swing — music
  11. cap — of ice
  12. suit — in cards
  13. race — humankind
  14. race — a contest
  15. cap — a hat
  16. suit — to fit
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. face — to point toward
  19. suit — clothes
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. race — the arms race
  22. face — part of the head
  23. mate — to breed
  24. mate — a friend

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