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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. dip — to sink
  3. scale — in music
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — to rip
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. field — for sport
  10. bound — certain
  11. field — a subject
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. bound — obliged
  14. scale — size or range
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. race — a contest
  18. toast — bread
  19. bound — tied together
  20. race — humankind
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. tear — from crying
  23. field — farmland
  24. racket — for tennis

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