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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. tear — to rip
  5. cell — a phone
  6. tear — from crying
  7. craft — boats
  8. rock — a stone
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. tear — from crying
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. pass — a permit
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. craft — a skill
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. cell — in biology
  18. kick — in football
  19. race — humankind
  20. rock — music
  21. race — the arms race
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. craft — a handicraft

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