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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: lie · net · rash · arm · race · track · land · court

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. track — a song
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. net — after costs
  5. race — a contest
  6. net — in sport
  7. land — ground
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. track — a path
  10. rash — hasty
  11. land — a country
  12. net — for catching
  13. court — for sport
  14. track — to keep track
  15. race — the arms race
  16. land — to come down
  17. court — of law
  18. rash — a series
  19. court — of a king
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. lie — to recline
  22. race — humankind
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. lie — an untruth

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