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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: kid · fan · race · kick · pit · rash · bound · rush

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. kid — child
  3. kick — in football
  4. rash — hasty
  5. race — the arms race
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rash — a series
  10. pit — a hole
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. rush — hurry
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. pit — in a race
  15. bound — certain
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. bound — tied together
  20. kid — to tease
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. race — humankind
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. race — a contest

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