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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 · last · race · bay · court · jam · fine · bulb

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. court — for sport
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. court — of a king
  11. race — a contest
  12. bulb — for light
  13. court — of law
  14. bulb — for light
  15. last — finally
  16. fine — high quality
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. last — final
  19. fine — all right
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. last — to go on
  24. race — the arms 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