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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: tube · race · arm · game · craft · pit · face · lean

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. pit — a hole
  3. lean — to bend
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. tube — a container
  6. face — part of the head
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. race — the arms race
  9. pit — in a race
  10. game — wild animals
  11. craft — boats
  12. face — to confront
  13. race — a contest
  14. lean — thin
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. game — a match
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. tube — the underground
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. craft — a skill
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. face — to point toward
  24. race — humankind

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