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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: degree · leaves · rash · hand · lash · last · race · ball

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. race — the arms race
  3. rash — hasty
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. hand — in cards
  6. race — humankind
  7. last — to go on
  8. race — a contest
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. ball — a dance
  11. hand — help
  12. last — finally
  13. degree — from a university
  14. rash — a series
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. degree — temperature
  17. ball — a great time
  18. last — final
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. degree — an amount
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. rash — on the skin

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