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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 felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — a break
  4. ground — a position
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. race — the arms race
  9. ground — crushed
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. race — a contest
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. chair — a leader
  14. snap — to click
  15. race — humankind
  16. ground — the earth
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. branch — a division
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. rest — what's left
  24. lash — to lash out

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