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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: foot · march · mouse · ground · lash · game · race · bark

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. ground — the earth
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. bark — to shout
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. march — the month
  11. race — humankind
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. game — wild animals
  14. ground — a position
  15. race — the arms race
  16. ground — crushed
  17. march — the month
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. march — music
  21. foot — a measure
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. race — a contest
  24. mouse — for a computer

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