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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: firm · race · ruler · cold · ball · spell · toast · tear

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — to rip
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. race — a contest
  5. ball — a dance
  6. cold — an illness
  7. spell — letters
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cold — not warm
  10. firm — a company
  11. race — the arms race
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. tear — from crying
  14. spell — magic
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. toast — bread
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. firm — steady
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. ball — a great time
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. race — humankind
  23. spell — a short time
  24. firm — decided

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