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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 124 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. net — in sport
  4. race — the arms race
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. chip — to eat
  7. race — humankind
  8. net — for catching
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. rock — a stone
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. chip — for betting
  15. stand — to bear
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. net — after costs
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. race — a contest
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. lash — an eyelash

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