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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. row — to paddle
  3. race — a contest
  4. mark — a grade
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. race — the arms race
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. last — finally
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. capital — a city
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. last — to go on
  15. row — a line
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. mark — a trace
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. capital — money
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. race — humankind
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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