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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. tear — from crying
  3. race — a contest
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. craft — a skill
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. net — for catching
  8. key — for a lock
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. ground — crushed
  11. tear — from crying
  12. race — humankind
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. march — music
  15. tear — to rip
  16. race — the arms race
  17. key — the most important part
  18. march — the month
  19. net — in sport
  20. march — the month
  21. ground — the earth
  22. craft — boats
  23. key — in music
  24. net — after costs

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