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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. row — a line
  3. game — wild animals
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. suit — clothes
  9. can — a tin
  10. suit — to fit
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. race — humankind
  13. bark — to shout
  14. game — a match
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. can — a tin
  17. row — to paddle
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. suit — in cards
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. race — the arms race
  23. can — to be able to
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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