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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 ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. race — humankind
  3. tube — a container
  4. race — the arms race
  5. mug — a face
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. race — a contest
  9. mug — to rob
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. track — a path
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. mug — a cup
  16. track — a song
  17. track — to keep track
  18. spell — magic
  19. spell — a short time
  20. kid — child
  21. spell — letters
  22. kid — to tease
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. tube — the underground

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