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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 120 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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468
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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. chest — of your body
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. row — to paddle
  7. file — a document
  8. chest — of your body
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. race — the arms race
  12. row — a line
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. race — a contest
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. pit — a hole
  18. file — a line of people
  19. bark — to shout
  20. file — a tool
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. pass — a permit
  23. pit — in a race
  24. chest — a box

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