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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. race — a contest
  5. race — the arms race
  6. tear — from crying
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. can — to be able to
  9. pit — in a race
  10. kid — child
  11. kid — to tease
  12. degree — temperature
  13. rash — hasty
  14. degree — from a university
  15. dip — to sink
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. tear — to rip
  18. tear — from crying
  19. can — a tin
  20. degree — an amount
  21. rash — a series
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. can — a tin
  24. pit — a hole

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