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

Word bank: net · pit · cold · temple · dip · lean · race · ruler

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. lean — thin
  3. race — the arms race
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. race — a contest
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. pit — in a race
  8. cold — an illness
  9. cold — not warm
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. race — humankind
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. dip — to sink
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. pit — a hole
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. lean — to bend
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. net — for catching
  22. net — after costs
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. net — in sport

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