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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  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 — the arms race
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. firm — a company
  4. charge — electricity
  5. net — for catching
  6. stock — shares
  7. firm — steady
  8. stock — goods
  9. plane — a tool
  10. wake — a trail
  11. charge — in control
  12. charge — a price
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. net — after costs
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. firm — decided
  19. net — in sport
  20. race — a contest
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. race — humankind
  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