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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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Word bank
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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: track · race · patient · date · lash · season · squash · fall

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. squash — to crush
  3. race — a contest
  4. season — of the year
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. fall — to drop
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. fall — to drop
  11. date — the fruit
  12. season — in sport
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. track — a path
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. race — the arms race
  18. race — humankind
  19. fall — the season
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. track — a song
  23. squash — the sport
  24. track — to keep track

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