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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 felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. rash — a series
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. mark — a trace
  9. race — a contest
  10. pop — music
  11. sharp — clever
  12. rash — hasty
  13. mate — a friend
  14. race — the arms race
  15. pop — soda
  16. mate — a partner
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. race — humankind
  21. mate — to breed
  22. pop — to visit
  23. wax — to grow
  24. mark — a grade

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