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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. drill — a practice
  4. tear — to rip
  5. clip — a video
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. shower — to wash
  8. tear — from crying
  9. track — to keep track
  10. race — the arms race
  11. tear — from crying
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. drill — the tool
  14. track — a path
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. drill — army training
  17. race — a contest
  18. craft — a skill
  19. clip — to cut
  20. shower — rain
  21. clip — for paper
  22. track — a song
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. craft — boats

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