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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. race — the arms race
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — employees
  10. pit — in a race
  11. game — wild animals
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. staff — a stick
  15. band — a ring
  16. pit — a hole
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. game — a match
  22. race — a contest
  23. race — humankind
  24. lash — to lash 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