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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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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: wound · hide · dip · degree · nail · race · lash · pit

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. race — humankind
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. race — a contest
  5. dip — to sink
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. degree — an amount
  9. wound — an injury
  10. pit — in a race
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. race — the arms race
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. degree — temperature
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. degree — from a university
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. wound — an injury
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. pit — a hole

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