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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. swing — music
  3. race — the arms race
  4. swing — to play on
  5. present — there
  6. swing — in golf
  7. fall — the season
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. row — a line
  10. race — humankind
  11. fall — to drop
  12. race — a contest
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. present — a gift
  15. fall — to drop
  16. shower — rain
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. shower — to wash
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. row — to paddle
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. present — the time now
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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