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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. court — of a king
  3. ground — the earth
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. ground — a position
  6. race — humankind
  7. present — the time now
  8. present — there
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. race — a contest
  14. race — the arms race
  15. court — for sport
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. ground — crushed
  18. court — of law
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. present — a gift
  24. trunk — of a car

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