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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. rest — what's left
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. sharp — clever
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. pit — in a race
  10. wind — moving air
  11. mate — a partner
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. wind — moving air
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. mate — a friend
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. rest — what's left
  18. pit — a hole
  19. rest — a break
  20. foot — a measure
  21. race — humankind
  22. race — a contest
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. mate — to breed

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