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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. race — a contest
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. race — the arms race
  8. degree — an amount
  9. spell — magic
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. degree — temperature
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. spell — letters
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. fall — the season
  16. fall — to drop
  17. spell — a short time
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. degree — from a university
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. race — humankind
  24. bark — to shout

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