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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. mark — a grade
  3. present — there
  4. wake — a trail
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. tear — to rip
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. pound — a weight
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. tear — from crying
  12. race — the arms race
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. squash — to crush
  15. race — a contest
  16. present — a gift
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. present — the time now
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. tear — from crying
  21. squash — the sport
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. mark — a trace

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