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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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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: track · mine · lash · degree · mug · fan · race · deal

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. mine — for digging
  3. degree — from a university
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. mug — a face
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. race — humankind
  11. deal — to handle
  12. mug — a cup
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. mug — to rob
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. race — the arms race
  18. degree — an amount
  19. race — a contest
  20. track — a song
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. degree — temperature
  23. track — to keep track
  24. track — a path

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