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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  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 — from crying
  2. race — humankind
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. bass — low music
  5. toast — bread
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. tear — to rip
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. perch — the fish
  14. scale — in music
  15. bass — the fish
  16. race — a contest
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. scale — size or range
  19. race — the arms race
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. tear — from crying
  23. fan — a supporter
  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