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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. pop — music
  4. tear — from crying
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. tear — from crying
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. tear — to rip
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. scale — in music
  11. pass — a permit
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. race — humankind
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. pop — to visit
  18. pop — soda
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — to trim
  21. scale — size or range
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. race — the arms race
  24. pass — to succeed

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