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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: last · bay · race · object · lash · cue · leaves · rush

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. cue — a signal
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. last — finally
  5. cue — for pool
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. race — the arms race
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. object — a thing
  12. last — to go on
  13. race — humankind
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. last — final
  17. rush — hurry
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. cue — a hint
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. object — an aim
  23. object — to protest
  24. leaves — of a tree

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