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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 felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. root — the cause
  5. rash — hasty
  6. bound — tied together
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. bound — obliged
  9. pop — soda
  10. pop — music
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. root — of a word
  13. root — of a plant
  14. rash — a series
  15. march — the month
  16. race — humankind
  17. race — the arms race
  18. race — a contest
  19. toast — bread
  20. march — the month
  21. pop — to visit
  22. bound — certain
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. march — music

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