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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: bay · kid · hide · rush · row · sharp · race · cabinet

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rush — hurry
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. race — the arms race
  6. kid — child
  7. row — a line
  8. kid — to tease
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. sharp — clever
  11. race — a contest
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. race — humankind
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. row — to paddle
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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