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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: cabinet · lean · race · cell · scale · snap · pit · rush

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. race — a contest
  3. race — humankind
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. scale — size or range
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. lean — thin
  10. cell — in biology
  11. scale — in music
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. cell — a phone
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. pit — in a race
  17. lean — to bend
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. rush — hurry
  22. snap — to click
  23. race — the arms race
  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