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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 116 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: cold · lash · craft · safe · race · key · wound · leaves

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. key — for a lock
  3. cold — an illness
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. race — a contest
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. key — the most important part
  14. cold — not warm
  15. craft — a skill
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. craft — boats
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. race — humankind
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. race — the arms race
  23. wound — an injury
  24. key — in music

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