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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. race — a contest
  3. race — humankind
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. deal — to handle
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. wound — an injury
  12. rash — a series
  13. roll — a cake
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. roll — a list
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. stand — to bear
  18. race — the arms race
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. deal — an agreement

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