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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. ground — the earth
  6. race — the arms race
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. chip — to eat
  9. ground — crushed
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. chip — for betting
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cold — not warm
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. ground — a position
  23. race — humankind
  24. chip — in a computer

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