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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: bear · hide · can · wound · pitch · kick · race · nail

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bear — the animal
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. can — to be able to
  6. can — a tin
  7. pitch — completely
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. race — humankind
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. can — a tin
  14. bear — the animal
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. wound — an injury
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. race — a contest
  22. kick — in football
  23. race — the arms race
  24. nail — for a hammer

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