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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. race — humankind
  6. key — the most important part
  7. chip — to eat
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. key — for a lock
  10. cap — of ice
  11. stem — to come from
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. chip — for betting
  14. cap — a hat
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. cap — a lid
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. race — a contest
  23. race — the arms race
  24. key — in music

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