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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. race — humankind
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. rock — music
  5. drill — the tool
  6. rest — a break
  7. land — ground
  8. key — in music
  9. drill — a practice
  10. race — the arms race
  11. rock — a stone
  12. race — a contest
  13. rest — what's left
  14. land — to come down
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. drill — army training
  17. stand — to bear
  18. land — a country
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. key — for a lock
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. key — the most important part
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. rock — to move gently

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