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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: row · land · current · kid · race · sharp · lash · scale

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. scale — in music
  5. row — to paddle
  6. current — happening now
  7. land — a country
  8. row — a line
  9. race — a contest
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. current — of water
  12. race — the arms race
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. current — electric
  15. land — to come down
  16. sharp — clever
  17. race — humankind
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. kid — child
  20. kid — to tease
  21. land — ground
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. scale — size or range
  24. scale — for weighing

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