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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: rash · cap · wake · ground · lash · race · current · bowl

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. race — humankind
  4. cap — of ice
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. rash — a series
  8. cap — a hat
  9. ground — the earth
  10. ground — crushed
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. race — the arms race
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. race — a contest
  16. wake — a trail
  17. current — happening now
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. current — electric
  21. ground — a position
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. current — of water

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