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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. lean — thin
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. last — final
  6. deal — to handle
  7. lean — to bend
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. race — the arms race
  11. race — humankind
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. race — a contest
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. charge — a price
  18. pitch — completely
  19. last — to go on
  20. charge — electricity
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. last — finally
  24. lean — to rest against

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