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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. press — to push
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. wound — an injury
  6. ground — a position
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. game — wild animals
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. ground — the earth
  12. wound — an injury
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. ground — crushed
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. race — the arms race
  18. race — humankind
  19. game — a match
  20. press — a publisher
  21. bore — to drill
  22. press — newspapers
  23. bore — to tire
  24. game — a kind of play

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