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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: lash · pit · bay · net · shower · race · field · date

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. race — a contest
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. pit — in a race
  5. date — the fruit
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. net — after costs
  10. field — a subject
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. net — in sport
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. shower — rain
  15. field — farmland
  16. race — humankind
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. field — for sport
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. pit — a hole
  21. race — the arms race
  22. shower — to wash
  23. net — for catching
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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