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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. row — a line
  3. mark — a grade
  4. kid — child
  5. row — to paddle
  6. wake — a trail
  7. race — a contest
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. chair — a leader
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. saw — the tool
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. mark — a trace
  15. saw — the tool
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. kid — to tease
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. race — the arms race
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. lash — to lash out

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