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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: drill · tear · stand · net · race · content

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. stand — to bear
  4. race — the arms race
  5. drill — a practice
  6. race — humankind
  7. drill — the tool
  8. net — for catching
  9. content — happy
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. drill — army training
  12. net — after costs
  13. tear — from crying
  14. content — the amount
  15. race — a contest
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. net — in sport
  18. tear — to rip

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