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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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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. last — to go on
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. race — a contest
  5. field — a subject
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. last — finally
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. snap — to click
  14. field — for sport
  15. lie — to recline
  16. wound — an injury
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. race — the arms race
  19. field — farmland
  20. last — final
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. mouse — the animal

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