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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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. race — the arms race
  3. race — humankind
  4. file — a document
  5. stand — to bear
  6. shower — to wash
  7. cap — of ice
  8. foot — a measure
  9. squash — the sport
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. shower — rain
  14. file — a line of people
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. tear — to rip
  17. race — a contest
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — from crying
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. cap — a lid
  22. cap — a hat
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. file — a tool

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