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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. swing — to play on
  3. spell — magic
  4. swing — in golf
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. track — a song
  8. charge — in control
  9. clip — a video
  10. race — a contest
  11. charge — a price
  12. race — humankind
  13. clip — for paper
  14. swing — music
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. spell — letters
  19. charge — electricity
  20. track — to keep track
  21. clip — to cut
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. spell — a short time
  24. track — a path

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