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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. race — the arms race
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. race — a contest
  5. staff — employees
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. staff — a stick
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. cold — an illness
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. staff — employees
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. chip — to eat
  17. season — in sport
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. season — of the year
  20. chip — for betting
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. snap — to click
  23. race — humankind
  24. cold — not warm

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