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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. plane — a tool
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. club — for golf
  5. hand — help
  6. tube — a container
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. cell — in biology
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. race — a contest
  14. cell — a phone
  15. lie — to recline
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. hand — in cards
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. club — for dancing
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. race — the arms race
  23. tube — the underground
  24. club — a group

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