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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: arm · race · sharp · stock · pass · fork · pit · row

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. pass — a permit
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. pit — a hole
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. race — a contest
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. fork — in a road
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. stock — goods
  15. row — to paddle
  16. sharp — clever
  17. race — the arms race
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. row — a line
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. stock — shares
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. pit — in a 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