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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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Word bank
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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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. wind — moving air
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. charge — electricity
  6. race — the arms race
  7. ball — a great time
  8. mine — for digging
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. race — a contest
  11. snap — to click
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. charge — a price
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. wind — moving air
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. charge — in control
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. race — humankind
  22. ball — a dance
  23. stand — to bear
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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