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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. row — a line
  3. race — a contest
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. rash — hasty
  6. rash — a series
  7. sharp — clever
  8. bank — for money
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. object — a thing
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. object — an aim
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. race — humankind
  17. row — to paddle
  18. rule — a law
  19. race — the arms race
  20. bank — for money
  21. rule — government
  22. bank — of a river
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. rule — to rule out

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