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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. mug — a cup
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. clip — to cut
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. field — a subject
  7. tear — from crying
  8. race — the arms race
  9. board — a committee
  10. tear — from crying
  11. clip — for paper
  12. mug — a face
  13. clip — a video
  14. field — farmland
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. board — to get on
  17. race — humankind
  18. mug — to rob
  19. toast — bread
  20. field — for sport
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. race — a contest

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