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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. pit — in a race
  4. saw — the tool
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. race — a contest
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bound — tied together
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. bound — obliged
  12. pit — a hole
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. ball — a great time
  15. bass — the fish
  16. ball — a dance
  17. race — the arms race
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. race — humankind
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. bound — certain
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. mine — for digging

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