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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 120 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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. cap — a hat
  3. season — in sport
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. race — humankind
  6. hand — in cards
  7. foot — a measure
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. race — a contest
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. wake — a trail
  14. season — of the year
  15. cap — of ice
  16. pit — a hole
  17. race — the arms race
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. hand — help
  20. cap — a lid
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. pit — in a race
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. foot — the bottom

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