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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. last — finally
  4. perch — the fish
  5. race — a contest
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — to be able to
  8. race — the arms race
  9. file — a document
  10. last — to go on
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. board — a committee
  13. content — happy
  14. board — to get on
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. file — a line of people
  17. last — final
  18. race — humankind
  19. file — a tool
  20. can — a tin
  21. content — the amount
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. lash — an eyelash

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