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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. tear — to rip
  3. chair — a leader
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. spell — magic
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. race — humankind
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. tear — from crying
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. tear — from crying
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. race — the arms race
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. spell — a short time
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. pitch — completely
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. spell — letters
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. nail — for a hammer

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