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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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468
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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. race — the arms race
  3. row — to paddle
  4. squash — the sport
  5. cell — in biology
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. rash — a series
  10. fall — to drop
  11. rash — hasty
  12. perch — the fish
  13. row — a line
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. squash — to crush
  17. fall — to drop
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. race — a contest
  21. fall — the season
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. race — humankind
  24. cell — a phone

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