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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. race — humankind
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. date — the fruit
  5. last — final
  6. squash — to crush
  7. race — a contest
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. chair — a leader
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. chest — a box
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. chest — of your body
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. squash — the sport
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. race — the arms race
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. last — finally

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