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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. race — a contest
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. clip — to cut
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. race — the arms race
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. stand — to bear
  15. clip — for paper
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. clip — a video
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. cell — in biology
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. cell — a phone
  24. race — humankind

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