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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. land — a country
  5. race — humankind
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. race — a contest
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. land — to come down
  11. land — ground
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. clip — a video
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. band — a ring
  17. date — the fruit
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. clip — to cut
  20. clip — for paper
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. deal — to handle
  23. band — a music group
  24. band — a rubber band

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