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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: straw · swing · degree · lie · race · ball · lash · suit

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. race — the arms race
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. suit — in cards
  7. degree — an amount
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — to recline
  10. swing — in golf
  11. suit — clothes
  12. degree — from a university
  13. ball — a dance
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. swing — to play on
  16. ball — a great time
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. swing — music
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. suit — to fit
  22. race — humankind
  23. degree — temperature
  24. lash — to lash out

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