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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. kick — in football
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. fall — to drop
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. wake — a trail
  12. fall — the season
  13. track — a song
  14. kid — child
  15. track — a path
  16. date — the fruit
  17. kid — to tease
  18. track — to keep track
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. fall — to drop
  22. race — humankind
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. race — the arms race

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