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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. bound — tied together
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. race — the arms race
  6. pound — a weight
  7. bound — certain
  8. track — a path
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. bound — obliged
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. wind — moving air
  18. track — a song
  19. race — humankind
  20. snap — to click
  21. wind — moving air
  22. track — to keep track
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. pound — for dogs

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