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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. rule — government
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. land — to come down
  6. land — a country
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. current — happening now
  12. race — humankind
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. race — the arms race
  15. current — electric
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. land — ground
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. rule — a law
  20. race — a contest
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. current — of water
  23. deal — to handle
  24. lie — to recline

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