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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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Word bank
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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. last — to go on
  4. race — the arms race
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. race — humankind
  7. mate — to breed
  8. mate — a friend
  9. field — farmland
  10. field — a subject
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. field — for sport
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. suit — to fit
  15. pit — a hole
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. snap — to click
  18. suit — in cards
  19. last — final
  20. pit — in a race
  21. suit — clothes
  22. last — finally
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. mate — a partner

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