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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: date · stick · mug · race · tear · row

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. tear — to rip
  3. race — humankind
  4. tear — from crying
  5. race — the arms race
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. race — a contest
  9. row — a line
  10. mug — a face
  11. date — the fruit
  12. mug — a cup
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. row — to paddle
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. mug — to rob
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. tear — from crying

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