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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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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: fine · hide · degree · race · current · pit · rash · bear

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. race — humankind
  3. rash — hasty
  4. fine — all right
  5. current — happening now
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. pit — a hole
  10. race — a contest
  11. current — electric
  12. bear — the animal
  13. rash — a series
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. current — of water
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. race — the arms race
  20. bear — the animal
  21. pit — in a race
  22. degree — an amount
  23. degree — temperature
  24. degree — from a university

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