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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. race — a contest
  5. wound — an injury
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. race — humankind
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. date — the fruit
  10. mark — a trace
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. ground — crushed
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. plane — a tool
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. ground — a position
  21. mark — a grade
  22. ground — the earth
  23. wound — an injury
  24. fork — in a road

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