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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: jam · last · plane · cold · race · lash · present · coach

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. plane — a tool
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. last — finally
  5. cold — not warm
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. race — a contest
  10. race — humankind
  11. present — a gift
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. present — there
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. present — the time now
  17. last — final
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. last — to go on
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. race — the arms race
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. cold — an illness

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