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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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Word bank
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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: mark · cold · saw · lash · race · cue · rash · press

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. rash — a series
  3. mark — a grade
  4. race — humankind
  5. press — a publisher
  6. press — newspapers
  7. cold — an illness
  8. cue — for pool
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. cold — not warm
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. rash — hasty
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. race — a contest
  15. race — the arms race
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. cue — a hint
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. saw — the tool
  21. cue — a signal
  22. mark — a trace
  23. saw — the tool
  24. cold — the Cold War

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