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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 116 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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. land — to come down
  3. spell — magic
  4. bank — of a river
  5. spell — a short time
  6. cap — a lid
  7. race — the arms race
  8. land — ground
  9. race — humankind
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. bank — for money
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. cold — not warm
  14. mark — a grade
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. cold — an illness
  17. spell — letters
  18. land — a country
  19. mark — a trace
  20. bank — for money
  21. cap — of ice
  22. cap — a hat
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. race — a contest

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