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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: lash · pass · race · cold · coach · firm · land · fan

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. land — a country
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. race — humankind
  6. race — a contest
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. firm — decided
  9. land — to come down
  10. cold — not warm
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. pass — a permit
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. cold — an illness
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. land — ground
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. firm — steady
  20. firm — a company
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. race — the arms race
  24. cold — the Cold War

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