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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. ground — crushed
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. cell — in biology
  5. cell — a phone
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — a break
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. suit — clothes
  10. tear — from crying
  11. race — the arms race
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. race — a contest
  15. ground — a position
  16. ground — the earth
  17. suit — to fit
  18. tear — from crying
  19. suit — in cards
  20. race — humankind
  21. kid — child
  22. kid — to tease
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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