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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: race · mark · rash · kick · ground · cold · calf · bore

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. rash — a series
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. race — a contest
  6. cold — not warm
  7. ground — a position
  8. bore — to tire
  9. rash — hasty
  10. ground — the earth
  11. mark — a grade
  12. ground — crushed
  13. race — humankind
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. bore — to drill
  18. race — the arms race
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. kick — in football
  21. cold — an illness
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. cold — the Cold War

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