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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 116 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: race · squash · lash · march · mug · hand · cap · rest

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. cap — a lid
  3. rest — what's left
  4. squash — the sport
  5. mug — to rob
  6. cap — of ice
  7. cap — a hat
  8. squash — to crush
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. mug — a face
  12. march — the month
  13. hand — in cards
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. race — the arms race
  16. race — humankind
  17. race — a contest
  18. hand — help
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. march — music
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. rest — what's left
  23. mug — a cup
  24. march — the month

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