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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. chip — for betting
  10. race — a contest
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. cold — not warm
  13. race — humankind
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. rash — hasty
  16. chip — to eat
  17. race — the arms race
  18. rash — a series
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. cold — an illness
  24. lie — to recline

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