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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. race — humankind
  4. court — for sport
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. wound — an injury
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. court — of law
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. court — of a king
  14. tube — a container
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. hand — help
  17. race — the arms race
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. tube — the underground
  20. wound — an injury
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. hand — in cards
  24. stand — to bear

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