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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. mate — to breed
  4. last — finally
  5. spell — letters
  6. pit — in a race
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. row — to paddle
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. last — to go on
  11. race — humankind
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. spell — a short time
  14. last — final
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. board — a committee
  17. pit — a hole
  18. spell — magic
  19. race — a contest
  20. board — to get on
  21. mate — a friend
  22. mate — a partner
  23. row — a line
  24. race — the arms race

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