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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 · mug · hide · mark · sharp · pit · face · hand

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. race — the arms race
  3. mug — a cup
  4. sharp — clever
  5. face — to point toward
  6. pit — a hole
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. hand — help
  10. face — part of the head
  11. mark — a grade
  12. mug — to rob
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. race — a contest
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. mark — a trace
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. mug — a face
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. pit — in a race
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. race — humankind
  24. face — to confront

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