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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  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. race — a contest
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. file — a tool
  4. club — a group
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. pop — soda
  8. race — the arms race
  9. chest — a box
  10. club — for golf
  11. pop — music
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. chest — of your body
  14. file — a document
  15. file — a line of people
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. pop — to visit
  18. dip — to sink
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. squash — the sport
  21. squash — to crush
  22. club — for dancing
  23. chest — of your body
  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