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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. mark — a grade
  3. race — humankind
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. spell — magic
  6. board — a committee
  7. tear — from crying
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. fork — in a road
  10. spell — a short time
  11. spell — letters
  12. race — the arms race
  13. mark — a trace
  14. race — a contest
  15. cell — a phone
  16. board — to get on
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. tear — to rip
  22. cell — in biology
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. fork — to eat with

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