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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 · racket · race · pit · foot · cold · content · fan

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  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. race — the arms race
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. cold — an illness
  4. pit — a hole
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. pit — in a race
  12. content — the amount
  13. race — a contest
  14. cold — not warm
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. foot — a measure
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. content — happy
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. race — humankind
  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