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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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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: hand · race · lash · mine · rash · pass · sharp · pound

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mine — for digging
  5. race — humankind
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. hand — in cards
  10. race — the arms race
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. pass — a permit
  13. sharp — clever
  14. rash — a series
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. rash — hasty
  17. hand — help
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. pound — a weight
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. race — a contest

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