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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. race — a contest
  3. wound — an injury
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. ball — a great time
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. ball — a dance
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. race — humankind
  10. date — the fruit
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. wound — an injury
  16. race — the arms race
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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