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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. cell — in biology
  7. race — humankind
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. capital — a city
  10. tear — from crying
  11. race — a contest
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. roll — a cake
  15. cell — a phone
  16. rush — hurry
  17. capital — money
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. tear — to rip
  21. tear — from crying
  22. race — the arms race
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. roll — a list

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