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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: race · drill · season · pit · lash · fan · toast · deal

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. season — in sport
  8. season — of the year
  9. toast — bread
  10. drill — the tool
  11. pit — in a race
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. race — humankind
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. drill — army training
  16. drill — a practice
  17. race — a contest
  18. pit — a hole
  19. race — the arms race
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. deal — to handle
  24. deal — a big deal

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