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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: hide · lash · bat · last · bank · rest · date · race

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bank — for money
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. rest — what's left
  8. race — the arms race
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. rest — a break
  11. bank — of a river
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. bat — the animal
  14. race — a contest
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. race — humankind
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. date — the fruit
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. rest — what's left
  22. last — to go on
  23. last — finally
  24. last — final

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