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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: race · rash · pit · bound · pitcher · tube · roll · squash

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. race — humankind
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. race — a contest
  7. rash — hasty
  8. tube — a container
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. bound — certain
  11. pit — a hole
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. squash — to crush
  16. bound — obliged
  17. race — the arms race
  18. roll — a cake
  19. pit — in a race
  20. bound — tied together
  21. squash — the sport
  22. tube — the underground
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. rash — a series

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