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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: mark · pit · bound · kick · tear · mine · race · coach

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mark — a trace
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. pit — a hole
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. race — a contest
  9. bound — certain
  10. bound — tied together
  11. race — the arms race
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. pit — in a race
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bound — obliged
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — to rip
  18. mine — for digging
  19. race — humankind
  20. tear — from crying
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. kick — in football
  24. mark — a grade

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