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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. drill — the tool
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. kid — child
  6. spell — letters
  7. drill — a practice
  8. wound — an injury
  9. race — the arms race
  10. kid — to tease
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. race — humankind
  14. spell — magic
  15. race — a contest
  16. drill — army training
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. chair — a leader
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. spell — a short time
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. chair — a professorship

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