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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 116 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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. track — a path
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. race — a contest
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. vault — a safe
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. race — humankind
  9. dip — to sink
  10. cold — not warm
  11. rest — what's left
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. cold — an illness
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. track — a song
  17. track — to keep track
  18. rest — a break
  19. race — the arms race
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. rest — what's left
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. dip — to dunk

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