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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. last — finally
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. last — to go on
  7. cold — not warm
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. drill — the tool
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. race — humankind
  14. drill — army training
  15. race — the arms race
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. drill — a practice
  18. ground — the earth
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. race — a contest
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. last — final
  23. cold — an illness
  24. ground — a position

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