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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 120 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 · bat · bound · suit · lash · fine · safe · race

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. suit — in cards
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. bound — obliged
  5. suit — to fit
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. fine — all right
  10. race — a contest
  11. fine — high quality
  12. race — the arms race
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. cold — an illness
  16. bat — the animal
  17. race — humankind
  18. bound — certain
  19. bound — tied together
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. suit — clothes

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