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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: mark · land · race · staff · bay · charge · arm · straw

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  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. charge — a price
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. mark — a trace
  6. charge — electricity
  7. mark — a grade
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. land — a country
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. staff — employees
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. staff — employees
  14. race — humankind
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. land — to come down
  19. staff — a stick
  20. land — ground
  21. race — a contest
  22. charge — in control
  23. straw — a straw man
  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