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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 116 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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. race — humankind
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. degree — from a university
  9. race — the arms race
  10. degree — an amount
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. swing — to play on
  13. net — after costs
  14. net — for catching
  15. swing — music
  16. rash — hasty
  17. net — in sport
  18. swing — in golf
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. perch — the fish
  23. race — a contest
  24. degree — temperature

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