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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: season · cue · tear · chip · game · race · lash · rash

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. race — humankind
  3. rash — hasty
  4. chip — to eat
  5. season — in sport
  6. cue — a signal
  7. tear — from crying
  8. chip — for betting
  9. rash — a series
  10. season — of the year
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. tear — from crying
  14. cue — a hint
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. game — wild animals
  17. game — a match
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. tear — to rip
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. race — the arms race
  23. cue — for pool
  24. race — a contest

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