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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: mark · file · pit · kick · shower · dip · race · nail

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. pit — a hole
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. file — a document
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. shower — rain
  9. race — the arms race
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. race — a contest
  12. race — humankind
  13. file — a tool
  14. dip — to sink
  15. shower — to wash
  16. file — a line of people
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. mark — a grade
  20. pit — in a race
  21. kick — in football
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. mark — a trace

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