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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: rash · kick · net · fine · tear · pass · rush · race

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. rash — hasty
  3. tear — to rip
  4. net — after costs
  5. fine — all right
  6. pass — a permit
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. tear — from crying
  11. rash — a series
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. kick — in football
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. fine — high quality
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. rush — hurry
  19. race — a contest
  20. net — in sport
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. race — the arms race
  23. net — for catching
  24. race — humankind

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