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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: nail · pit · fine · kid · rush · sharp · shower · race

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. pit — in a race
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. rush — hurry
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. kid — to tease
  11. race — the arms race
  12. sharp — clever
  13. fine — all right
  14. fine — high quality
  15. race — humankind
  16. shower — to wash
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. pit — a hole
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. race — a contest
  22. shower — rain
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. kid — child

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