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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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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 · dip · lie · kid · rash · pop · rule · pitch

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. kid — child
  3. rule — government
  4. lie — to recline
  5. pop — to visit
  6. race — a contest
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. pop — music
  10. kid — to tease
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. pitch — completely
  13. pop — soda
  14. dip — to sink
  15. race — humankind
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. race — the arms race
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. rule — a law
  22. rash — a series
  23. rash — hasty
  24. rule — to rule out

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