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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: pit · arm · ruler · patient · mine · rock · file · race

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  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. mine — an explosive
  2. race — humankind
  3. race — a contest
  4. file — a line of people
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. rock — a stone
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. file — a document
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. pit — a hole
  14. pit — in a race
  15. rock — music
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. file — a tool
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. mine — for digging
  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