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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. rock — music
  3. race — humankind
  4. track — a song
  5. tear — from crying
  6. last — finally
  7. track — a path
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. race — a contest
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. last — final
  14. game — wild animals
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. last — to go on
  17. track — to keep track
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. tear — to rip
  20. race — the arms race
  21. game — a match
  22. rock — a stone
  23. tear — from crying
  24. safe — out of danger

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