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

Word bank: arm · race · court · suit · mark · sharp · face · chair

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. race — a contest
  3. court — of a king
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. court — for sport
  6. face — part of the head
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. court — of law
  10. chair — a leader
  11. mark — a grade
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. suit — in cards
  14. suit — clothes
  15. face — to point toward
  16. suit — to fit
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. race — the arms race
  19. face — to confront
  20. sharp — clever
  21. mark — a trace
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. race — humankind
  24. arm — part of the body

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