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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. firm — a company
  4. cap — of ice
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. firm — decided
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. tear — from crying
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. cap — a hat
  12. tear — to rip
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. cap — a lid
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. race — humankind
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. race — the arms race
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. firm — steady
  21. wake — a trail
  22. race — a contest
  23. tear — from crying
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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