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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: charge · pit · wound · lash · object · foot · race · mine

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. object — a thing
  3. pit — in a race
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. race — a contest
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. object — an aim
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. object — to protest
  12. foot — a measure
  13. charge — a price
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — an injury
  16. charge — in control
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. race — humankind
  20. mine — for digging
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. pit — a hole
  24. race — the arms race

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