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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 116 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: cold · bark · deal · safe · bound · lash · pit · rush

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. bound — certain
  4. rush — hurry
  5. cold — not warm
  6. bound — obliged
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. pit — in a race
  9. deal — to handle
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. bound — tied together
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. pit — a hole
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. cold — an illness
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. bark — to shout
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. cold — the Cold War

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