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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. mark — a trace
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. kid — to tease
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. track — to keep track
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. mark — a grade
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. kid — child
  18. race — a contest
  19. race — the arms race
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. track — a path
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. race — humankind

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