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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: clip · roll · craft · pit · race · dip · bark · rash

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. dip — to sink
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. race — the arms race
  6. clip — to cut
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. pit — a hole
  9. roll — a cake
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. race — humankind
  12. rash — hasty
  13. bark — to shout
  14. clip — for paper
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. craft — a skill
  18. craft — boats
  19. rash — a series
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. roll — a list
  22. pit — in a race
  23. clip — a video
  24. rash — on the skin

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