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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. suit — in cards
  3. file — a line of people
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. ground — a position
  6. suit — clothes
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. file — a tool
  9. race — the arms race
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. stem — to come from
  12. suit — to fit
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. file — a document
  18. ground — crushed
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. race — humankind
  22. race — a contest
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. ground — the earth

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