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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 116 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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. race — a contest
  3. object — to protest
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. net — after costs
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. race — the arms race
  9. spell — a short time
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. spell — letters
  12. land — ground
  13. land — to come down
  14. race — humankind
  15. lean — thin
  16. board — a committee
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. net — for catching
  19. land — a country
  20. object — a thing
  21. object — an aim
  22. board — to get on
  23. spell — magic
  24. lean — to bend

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