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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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Word bank
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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: board · object · spell · game · file · lash · snap · race

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. object — to protest
  3. snap — to click
  4. game — a match
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. spell — letters
  7. race — a contest
  8. file — a document
  9. spell — magic
  10. file — a line of people
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. board — to get on
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. object — an aim
  17. file — a tool
  18. game — wild animals
  19. board — a committee
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. object — a thing
  23. spell — a short time
  24. race — the arms race

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