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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. hand — help
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. suit — in cards
  8. cold — an illness
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. race — a contest
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. race — humankind
  15. race — the arms race
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. branch — a division
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. toast — bread
  21. suit — clothes
  22. suit — to fit
  23. cold — not warm
  24. hand — in cards

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