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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. bear — the animal
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. race — a contest
  6. charge — a price
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. spell — magic
  9. bear — the animal
  10. charge — in control
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. charge — electricity
  13. cold — an illness
  14. race — humankind
  15. spell — letters
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. cold — not warm
  22. spell — a short time
  23. race — the arms race
  24. pitcher — a jug

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