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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. race — humankind
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. kid — to tease
  9. kid — child
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. pit — in a race
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. wind — moving air
  17. race — a contest
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. pit — a hole
  20. wind — moving air
  21. date — the fruit
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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