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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 120 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 · field · lash · cold · bound · pit · stand · cabinet

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. cold — an illness
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. bound — certain
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. pit — a hole
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. stand — to bear
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. pit — in a race
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. field — a subject
  14. bound — obliged
  15. field — farmland
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. race — a contest
  18. field — for sport
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. race — humankind
  22. bound — tied together
  23. cold — not warm
  24. lash — to lash out

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