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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: capital · field · rush · hide · saw · race · lash · bay

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. saw — the tool
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. capital — a city
  7. saw — the tool
  8. capital — money
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. race — a contest
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. field — for sport
  15. race — the arms race
  16. field — farmland
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. field — a subject
  21. rush — hurry
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. race — humankind

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