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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: lash · cabinet · ground · fall · rule · race

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. fall — the season
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. race — a contest
  7. fall — to drop
  8. ground — the earth
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. ground — crushed
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. fall — to drop
  13. rule — government
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. race — humankind
  16. race — the arms race
  17. ground — a position
  18. rule — a law

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