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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: present · cold · cabinet · lash · suit · race · shower · arm

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. race — humankind
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. cold — not warm
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. suit — to fit
  7. shower — rain
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. suit — clothes
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. race — a contest
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. present — there
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. race — the arms race
  18. present — a gift
  19. shower — to wash
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. present — the time now
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. cold — an illness

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