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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. fine — all right
  3. bound — certain
  4. race — the arms race
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. race — a contest
  9. cold — an illness
  10. court — of law
  11. fine — high quality
  12. cold — not warm
  13. tube — the underground
  14. bound — obliged
  15. court — of a king
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. court — for sport
  19. bound — tied together
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. kick — in football
  22. tube — a container
  23. race — humankind
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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