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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. ground — a position
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. pass — a permit
  5. chest — of your body
  6. fine — all right
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. chest — a box
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. race — a contest
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. race — the arms race
  16. ground — the earth
  17. chest — of your body
  18. sharp — clever
  19. race — humankind
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. ground — crushed
  24. fine — high quality

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