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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: race · lash · object · wind · march · kick

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. object — an aim
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. march — the month
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. race — humankind
  7. march — music
  8. object — to protest
  9. wind — moving air
  10. race — a contest
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. object — a thing
  13. race — the arms race
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. kick — in football
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. march — the month
  18. wind — moving air

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