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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. row — a line
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. cell — a phone
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. race — humankind
  8. can — a tin
  9. cue — for pool
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — to be able to
  12. race — a contest
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. race — the arms race
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cue — a signal
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. row — to paddle
  24. straw — a straw man

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