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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. band — a music group
  3. fine — high quality
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. rest — a break
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. track — a song
  8. race — humankind
  9. band — a ring
  10. content — happy
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. rest — what's left
  13. race — a contest
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. fine — all right
  17. track — a path
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. content — the amount
  20. rest — what's left
  21. track — to keep track
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. race — the arms race

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