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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. race — humankind
  4. land — a country
  5. degree — an amount
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. degree — from a university
  9. land — to come down
  10. race — a contest
  11. mark — a grade
  12. row — to paddle
  13. race — the arms race
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. mark — a trace
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. land — ground
  20. degree — temperature
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. pit — in a race
  23. pit — a hole
  24. row — a line

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