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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 116 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. rock — music
  3. shower — to wash
  4. race — humankind
  5. tear — from crying
  6. race — a contest
  7. net — in sport
  8. board — a committee
  9. cell — in biology
  10. net — after costs
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. shower — rain
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. tear — to rip
  17. net — for catching
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. tear — from crying
  20. board — to get on
  21. rock — a stone
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. cell — a phone
  24. pound — a weight

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