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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. race — the arms race
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. net — for catching
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. row — a line
  7. court — of law
  8. tear — to rip
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. court — of a king
  13. race — humankind
  14. net — in sport
  15. bark — to shout
  16. race — a contest
  17. court — for sport
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. tear — from crying
  22. net — after costs
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. row — to paddle

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