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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. last — to go on
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. race — humankind
  8. current — electric
  9. cell — a phone
  10. cell — in biology
  11. current — happening now
  12. last — final
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. current — of water
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. race — the arms race
  20. wake — a trail
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. race — a contest
  24. racket — for tennis

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