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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. mug — to rob
  5. tear — from crying
  6. mug — a cup
  7. race — humankind
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. toast — bread
  10. mug — a face
  11. race — the arms race
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. race — a contest
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. tear — from crying
  18. rule — a law
  19. cell — in biology
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. tear — to rip
  22. rule — government
  23. cell — a phone
  24. rule — to rule out

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