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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. ground — the earth
  3. race — humankind
  4. mug — a cup
  5. race — the arms race
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. fork — in a road
  8. rule — government
  9. mug — a face
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. pop — to visit
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. band — a music group
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. ground — crushed
  17. mug — to rob
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. ground — a position
  21. pop — music
  22. band — a ring
  23. pop — soda
  24. rule — a law

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