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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: mug · lash · cold · suit · date · tear · fall · race

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. race — a contest
  4. cold — not warm
  5. tear — from crying
  6. suit — clothes
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. race — humankind
  11. mug — to rob
  12. cold — an illness
  13. suit — in cards
  14. tear — to rip
  15. tear — from crying
  16. mug — a face
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. mug — a cup
  20. fall — to drop
  21. race — the arms race
  22. suit — to fit
  23. fall — to drop
  24. date — the fruit

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