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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: bark · pit · deal · kick · rash · spell · race · rush

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. spell — letters
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rash — hasty
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. race — the arms race
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. pit — a hole
  12. bark — to shout
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. spell — a short time
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. spell — magic
  17. kick — in football
  18. rash — a series
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. pit — in a race
  21. race — humankind
  22. race — a contest
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. deal — an agreement

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