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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wake · fine · arm · foot · race · pit · mate · file

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. mate — to breed
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. mate — a partner
  6. pit — a hole
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. foot — a measure
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. file — a line of people
  13. wake — a trail
  14. fine — all right
  15. file — a document
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. pit — in a race
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. mate — a friend
  20. race — humankind
  21. fine — high quality
  22. race — the arms race
  23. file — a tool
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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