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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 116 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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. march — the month
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. season — of the year
  7. race — the arms race
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. march — music
  10. season — in sport
  11. march — the month
  12. swing — to play on
  13. race — humankind
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. swing — in golf
  17. snap — to click
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. lie — to recline
  20. race — a contest
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. swing — music
  24. lie — an untruth

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