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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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Word bank
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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 coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. cell — a phone
  4. race — a contest
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. race — humankind
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. swing — music
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. race — the arms race
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. row — to paddle
  21. swing — to play on
  22. cell — in biology
  23. row — a line
  24. vault — a safe

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