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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 120 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: bark · bay · track · pit · arm · leaves · face · race

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. face — to confront
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. pit — in a race
  5. race — humankind
  6. face — part of the head
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. face — to point toward
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. race — a contest
  12. race — the arms race
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. track — to keep track
  18. track — a song
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. track — a path
  23. pit — a hole
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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