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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. tear — to rip
  3. content — the amount
  4. race — humankind
  5. row — to paddle
  6. race — the arms race
  7. date — the fruit
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. race — a contest
  13. tear — from crying
  14. row — a line
  15. prune — to trim
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. prune — to trim
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. tear — from crying
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. content — happy
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. row — a quarrel

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