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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. mark — a trace
  4. tear — from crying
  5. pop — to visit
  6. tear — from crying
  7. race — the arms race
  8. bear — the animal
  9. key — in music
  10. tear — to rip
  11. key — the most important part
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. snap — to click
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. rash — hasty
  16. pop — soda
  17. mark — a grade
  18. key — for a lock
  19. rash — a series
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. bear — the animal
  22. pop — music
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. race — humankind

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