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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 was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. race — a contest
  3. land — ground
  4. staff — employees
  5. mine — for digging
  6. land — to come down
  7. squash — to crush
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. race — the arms race
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. squash — the sport
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. race — humankind
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. staff — employees
  18. land — a country
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. staff — a stick
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. bowl — to roll

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