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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 116 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. race — humankind
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. rock — a stone
  8. last — to go on
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. race — the arms race
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. spell — a short time
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. spell — magic
  16. race — a contest
  17. last — final
  18. spell — letters
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. last — finally
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. bark — to shout

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