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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 116 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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. last — to go on
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. court — for sport
  6. court — of law
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. last — finally
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. race — humankind
  12. wound — an injury
  13. race — a contest
  14. hand — help
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. hand — in cards
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. pass — a permit
  22. last — final
  23. wound — an injury
  24. court — of a king

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