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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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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. race — a contest
  7. clip — for paper
  8. ball — a great time
  9. craft — a skill
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. wax — to grow
  12. craft — boats
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. race — the arms race
  15. rash — a series
  16. ball — a dance
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. clip — to cut
  19. dip — to sink
  20. clip — a video
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. rash — hasty
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. dip — to dunk

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