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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. race — a contest
  3. file — a line of people
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. chest — a box
  7. file — a tool
  8. race — the arms race
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. shower — rain
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — of your body
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. race — humankind
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. file — a document
  18. kick — in football
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. wake — a trail
  21. shower — to wash
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. cabinet — ministers

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