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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: rash · press · pit · current · lean · track · net · race

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  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. track — a path
  2. pit — in a race
  3. current — of water
  4. rash — a series
  5. press — a publisher
  6. rash — hasty
  7. net — after costs
  8. press — newspapers
  9. current — electric
  10. net — for catching
  11. current — happening now
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. track — to keep track
  16. race — humankind
  17. race — a contest
  18. lean — thin
  19. press — to push
  20. pit — a hole
  21. track — a song
  22. lean — to bend
  23. race — the arms race
  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