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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. pit — a hole
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. court — of a king
  7. pit — in a race
  8. court — for sport
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. rush — hurry
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. court — of law
  16. race — humankind
  17. track — a song
  18. sharp — clever
  19. track — to keep track
  20. track — a path
  21. race — the arms race
  22. race — a contest
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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