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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. saw — the tool
  4. can — a tin
  5. tear — to rip
  6. can — to be able to
  7. race — humankind
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. saw — the tool
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. tear — from crying
  13. date — the fruit
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. kid — child
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. vault — a safe
  19. kid — to tease
  20. race — a contest
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. can — a tin
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bowl — a football final

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