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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — the tool
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. swing — to play on
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. race — a contest
  10. swing — in golf
  11. race — the arms race
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. rock — music
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. race — humankind
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. swing — music
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. mine — for digging
  24. rock — a stone

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