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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. pop — to visit
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. race — the arms race
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bat — the animal
  12. pop — soda
  13. mark — a grade
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. race — humankind
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. race — a contest
  19. key — for a lock
  20. pop — music
  21. key — in music
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. key — the most important part

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