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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  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. bank — for money
  2. charge — a price
  3. wound — an injury
  4. dip — to sink
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. charge — in control
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. bank — for money
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. bank — of a river
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. fine — all right
  14. charge — electricity
  15. wind — moving air
  16. race — a contest
  17. fine — high quality
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. wind — moving air
  20. race — the arms race
  21. wound — an injury
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. dip — to dunk
  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