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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: mug · hand · tear · stick · race · board · bay · foot

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. mug — to rob
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. hand — in cards
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. tear — from crying
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. race — humankind
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. hand — help
  12. foot — a measure
  13. board — to get on
  14. race — a contest
  15. mug — a cup
  16. tear — to rip
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. mug — a face
  20. board — a committee
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. race — the arms race
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. hand — part of the body

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