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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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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: mark · race · hand · pit · trunk · racket · tear · current

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. current — of water
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. current — happening now
  5. race — a contest
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. mark — a trace
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. tear — from crying
  11. mark — a grade
  12. current — electric
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. race — the arms race
  16. race — humankind
  17. hand — help
  18. pit — in a race
  19. pit — a hole
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. tear — to rip
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. hand — in cards

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