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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: pit · staff · pound · straw · kid · jam · race · arm

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. staff — employees
  3. race — humankind
  4. kid — child
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. staff — a stick
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. race — the arms race
  9. race — a contest
  10. kid — to tease
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. pit — in a race
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. pound — a weight
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. pit — a hole
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. staff — employees

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