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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 124 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 felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. race — a contest
  4. chest — of your body
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mate — a partner
  7. race — humankind
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. degree — temperature
  10. scale — size or range
  11. degree — from a university
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. chest — a box
  14. scale — in music
  15. chest — of your body
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mate — a friend
  21. degree — an amount
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. race — the arms race
  24. safe — out of danger

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