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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 · lash · chest · club · date · toast · lie · fine

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. date — the fruit
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. race — a contest
  5. toast — bread
  6. club — for dancing
  7. race — the arms race
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — a box
  12. chest — of your body
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. lie — to recline
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. fine — all right
  19. fine — high quality
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. club — a group
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. club — for golf

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