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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 116 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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  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. tear — to rip
  2. cap — a lid
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. race — humankind
  5. lie — to recline
  6. scale — size or range
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. cap — a hat
  9. tear — from crying
  10. can — a tin
  11. squash — to crush
  12. race — a contest
  13. can — a tin
  14. scale — in music
  15. cap — of ice
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. squash — the sport
  18. can — to be able to
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. tear — from crying
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. mine — for digging
  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