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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: bound · sharp · cold · pit · pitcher · lash · race · staff

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. sharp — clever
  4. bound — tied together
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. race — humankind
  10. staff — a stick
  11. race — the arms race
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. pit — in a race
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — employees
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. bound — certain
  18. pit — a hole
  19. race — a contest
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. cold — an illness
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. bound — obliged
  24. sharp — with an edge

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