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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 · date · lash · fall · wax · ball · last · pit

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. last — to go on
  5. pit — a hole
  6. ball — a great time
  7. fall — to drop
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. race — humankind
  12. fall — to drop
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. race — a contest
  16. last — finally
  17. wax — to grow
  18. fall — the season
  19. date — the fruit
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. last — final
  22. ball — a dance
  23. race — the arms race
  24. lash — to lash out

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