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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. race — humankind
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bound — tied together
  6. field — for sport
  7. field — a subject
  8. key — in music
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. race — a contest
  11. bound — obliged
  12. drill — army training
  13. tear — to rip
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. drill — a practice
  16. drill — the tool
  17. key — for a lock
  18. tube — the underground
  19. tube — a container
  20. kick — in football
  21. field — farmland
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. key — the most important part
  24. bound — certain

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