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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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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: lash · race · kid · bass · object · mine · rule · wake

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. bass — low music
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. race — the arms race
  8. rule — a law
  9. object — to protest
  10. object — a thing
  11. wake — a trail
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. race — humankind
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. kid — child
  17. kid — to tease
  18. mine — for digging
  19. object — an aim
  20. bass — the fish
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. rule — government
  24. wake — before a funeral

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