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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 120 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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. race — humankind
  3. cue — a signal
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. cold — not warm
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. race — a contest
  10. cue — a hint
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. race — the arms race
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. deal — to handle
  17. fine — high quality
  18. fine — all right
  19. cold — an illness
  20. rush — hurry
  21. cue — for pool
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. lash — an eyelash

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