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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. tear — from crying
  6. object — to protest
  7. object — a thing
  8. race — a contest
  9. race — humankind
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. track — a path
  12. bound — tied together
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. tear — from crying
  15. wound — an injury
  16. tear — to rip
  17. race — the arms race
  18. track — to keep track
  19. track — a song
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bound — certain
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. object — an aim
  24. stand — to bear

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