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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — to rip
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. race — humankind
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. clip — a video
  8. scale — in music
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. clip — for paper
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. race — the arms race
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. clip — to cut
  16. scale — size or range
  17. race — a contest
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. tear — from crying
  20. rush — hurry
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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