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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 120 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 was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. race — humankind
  3. net — in sport
  4. object — an aim
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. drill — a practice
  7. rash — a series
  8. mine — for digging
  9. drill — army training
  10. drill — the tool
  11. rash — hasty
  12. net — after costs
  13. object — a thing
  14. race — the arms race
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. net — for catching
  18. kid — to tease
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. kid — child
  22. object — to protest
  23. race — a contest
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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