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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 116 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: pit · race · lash · tear · mug · row · cell · bear

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. mug — a face
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bear — the animal
  7. pit — in a race
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. race — a contest
  10. row — a line
  11. mug — a cup
  12. pit — a hole
  13. mug — to rob
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. race — the arms race
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. tear — to rip
  18. cell — a phone
  19. bear — the animal
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. race — humankind
  22. row — to paddle
  23. tear — from crying
  24. cell — in biology

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