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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 120 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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. race — a contest
  3. content — happy
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. race — the arms race
  6. net — after costs
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. net — for catching
  11. wind — moving air
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. content — the amount
  14. fine — all right
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. bulb — for light
  17. wind — moving air
  18. fine — high quality
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. bulb — for light
  23. wake — a trail
  24. net — in sport

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