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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. race — a contest
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. mug — a cup
  5. race — humankind
  6. mug — to rob
  7. swing — in golf
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. row — a line
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. row — to paddle
  12. lie — to recline
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. race — the arms race
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. sharp — clever
  23. swing — music
  24. swing — to play on

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