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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. game — a match
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. snap — to click
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. race — a contest
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. race — humankind
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. game — wild animals
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. vault — a safe
  22. race — the arms race
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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