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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 116 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 belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. race — humankind
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. fall — the season
  7. race — the arms race
  8. wind — moving air
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. club — for golf
  11. tear — from crying
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mark — a grade
  14. race — a contest
  15. fall — to drop
  16. tear — to rip
  17. wind — moving air
  18. mark — a trace
  19. club — for dancing
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. tear — from crying
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. fall — to drop

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