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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. race — humankind
  3. lie — to recline
  4. net — in sport
  5. stem — to come from
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. ball — a great time
  11. race — a contest
  12. charge — electricity
  13. charge — in control
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. band — a ring
  18. ball — a dance
  19. net — after costs
  20. race — the arms race
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. net — for catching
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. charge — a price

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