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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. scale — size or range
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. wound — an injury
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. race — the arms race
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. race — a contest
  13. scale — in music
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. kick — in football
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. race — humankind
  24. leaves — to go away

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