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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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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. race — the arms race
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. race — a contest
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. file — a document
  10. capital — a city
  11. race — humankind
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. file — a tool
  16. file — a line of people
  17. mark — a trace
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. mark — a grade
  20. season — in sport
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. snap — to click
  23. capital — money
  24. mark — to pay attention

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