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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: wound · snap · rash · race · temple · hide · mate · nail

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. wound — an injury
  3. mate — to breed
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. mate — a partner
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. race — a contest
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. snap — to click
  14. race — the arms race
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. rash — a series
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. wound — an injury
  19. rash — hasty
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. race — humankind
  24. mate — a friend

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