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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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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: race · date · cell · bat · bound · lash · snap · chip

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. bound — certain
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. race — the arms race
  6. bound — tied together
  7. date — the fruit
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. cell — a phone
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. race — a contest
  13. chip — to eat
  14. race — humankind
  15. bound — obliged
  16. cell — in biology
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. snap — to click
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. chip — for betting
  24. lash — to lash out

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