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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. race — humankind
  3. kid — to tease
  4. land — a country
  5. race — a contest
  6. kid — child
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. race — the arms race
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. rock — a stone
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. saw — the tool
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. saw — the tool
  17. rock — music
  18. content — happy
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. land — to come down
  24. land — ground

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