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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 120 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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. race — the arms race
  3. pit — a hole
  4. track — a path
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. field — farmland
  7. pound — a weight
  8. field — for sport
  9. field — a subject
  10. pit — in a race
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. squash — the sport
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. track — a song
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. race — humankind
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. squash — to crush
  20. race — a contest
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. track — to keep track
  24. pound — to hit hard

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