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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. mug — a cup
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. mug — to rob
  7. race — the arms race
  8. rock — music
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. mug — a face
  11. race — a contest
  12. row — a line
  13. band — a ring
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. band — a music group
  17. ground — a position
  18. ground — the earth
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. rock — a stone
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. race — humankind
  24. row — to paddle

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