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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. spring — the season
  3. staff — employees
  4. staff — a stick
  5. race — the arms race
  6. race — a contest
  7. cap — of ice
  8. swing — music
  9. tear — from crying
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. cap — a hat
  12. swing — in golf
  13. tear — from crying
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. tear — to rip
  16. stand — to bear
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. cap — a lid
  19. staff — employees
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. spring — of water
  22. swing — to play on
  23. spring — a coil
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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