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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. race — humankind
  3. race — a contest
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. last — to go on
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. band — a music group
  8. bulb — for light
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. mug — a face
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. last — final
  14. rash — a series
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. season — in sport
  17. last — finally
  18. race — the arms race
  19. mug — a cup
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. mug — to rob
  22. band — a ring
  23. rash — hasty
  24. bulb — for light

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