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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. land — a country
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. race — a contest
  5. land — to come down
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. wake — a trail
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. rule — government
  10. land — ground
  11. chest — of your body
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. race — the arms race
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. race — humankind
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — a box
  23. rule — a law
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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