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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: race · pit · row · saw · chair · sharp · track · content

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. track — a song
  3. track — a path
  4. saw — the tool
  5. sharp — clever
  6. race — the arms race
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. saw — the tool
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. row — a line
  11. row — to paddle
  12. content — happy
  13. track — to keep track
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. pit — a hole
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. chair — a leader
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. content — the amount
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. race — humankind
  24. race — a contest

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