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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. race — a contest
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. race — the arms race
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. swing — to play on
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. craft — boats
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. mine — for digging
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. swing — in golf
  19. race — humankind
  20. craft — a skill
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. swing — music
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. mine — an explosive

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