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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. rash — hasty
  3. key — in music
  4. object — a thing
  5. swing — in golf
  6. race — the arms race
  7. key — the most important part
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. game — wild animals
  11. swing — music
  12. object — to protest
  13. kick — in football
  14. swing — to play on
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. race — humankind
  17. game — a match
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. key — for a lock
  21. object — an aim
  22. rash — a series
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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