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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 mare is ________________ in color.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. spring — the season
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. rock — a stone
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. race — humankind
  9. rock — music
  10. spring — of water
  11. snap — to click
  12. rush — hurry
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. spring — a coil
  17. race — a contest
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. rule — government
  21. rule — a law
  22. race — the arms race
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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