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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rock — music
  3. race — a contest
  4. clip — to cut
  5. rest — what's left
  6. fall — to drop
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. clip — a video
  10. rest — a break
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. tear — from crying
  13. race — the arms race
  14. tear — from crying
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. fall — the season
  17. fall — to drop
  18. tear — to rip
  19. race — humankind
  20. rock — a stone
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. clip — for paper

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