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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: ball · race · stand · rush · hide · pit · clip · squash

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. pit — a hole
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. race — a contest
  5. stand — to bear
  6. rush — hurry
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. race — humankind
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. race — the arms race
  11. squash — the sport
  12. squash — to crush
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. clip — to cut
  16. clip — for paper
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. ball — a great time
  21. pit — in a race
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. ball — a dance
  24. clip — a video

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