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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 124 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. rock — music
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. dip — to sink
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. rock — a stone
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. spell — magic
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. race — humankind
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. bat — the animal
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. spell — a short time
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. race — the arms race
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. spell — letters

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