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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 120 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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. tear — to rip
  3. fine — all right
  4. board — to get on
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. hand — help
  9. race — the arms race
  10. race — humankind
  11. hand — in cards
  12. tear — from crying
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. fine — high quality
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — an injury
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. tear — from crying
  21. board — a committee
  22. dip — to sink
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. dip — to dunk

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