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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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 ring
  3. object — to protest
  4. net — after costs
  5. race — the arms race
  6. object — a thing
  7. rash — hasty
  8. current — happening now
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. net — for catching
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. pitch — completely
  15. band — a music group
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. rash — a series
  19. race — humankind
  20. net — in sport
  21. current — electric
  22. object — an aim
  23. race — a contest
  24. current — of water

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