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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. drill — the tool
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. shower — to wash
  7. rule — a law
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. drill — army training
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. spell — magic
  14. spell — a short time
  15. race — humankind
  16. drill — a practice
  17. race — a contest
  18. shower — rain
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. rule — government
  21. race — the arms race
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. kid — child
  24. kid — to tease

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