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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: lash · mug · race · bass · cell · fall · net · key

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. cell — a phone
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. cell — in biology
  6. net — in sport
  7. mug — to rob
  8. race — a contest
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. key — the most important part
  11. mug — a cup
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. key — in music
  14. fall — the season
  15. bass — the fish
  16. mug — a face
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — to drop
  19. race — the arms race
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. net — after costs
  22. net — for catching
  23. bass — low music
  24. key — for a lock

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