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

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. race — the arms race
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. rush — hurry
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. cue — a signal
  12. cue — for pool
  13. pit — in a race
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. race — a contest
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. race — humankind
  18. cue — a hint
  19. board — a committee
  20. pit — a hole
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. board — to get on
  24. hide — to keep secret

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