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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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Word bank
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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 was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. bass — the fish
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. game — a match
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. race — a contest
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. shower — rain
  11. cell — in biology
  12. game — wild animals
  13. shower — to wash
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. pit — in a race
  16. race — the arms race
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. cell — a phone
  20. pit — a hole
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. bass — low music
  24. race — humankind

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