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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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: arm · race · pit · board · hand · field · mug · coach

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. field — farmland
  4. mug — a face
  5. pit — a hole
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. hand — help
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. board — to get on
  12. hand — in cards
  13. race — humankind
  14. board — a committee
  15. field — for sport
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. mug — a cup
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. race — a contest
  21. field — a subject
  22. race — the arms race
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. mug — to rob

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