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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: pit · rule · track · coach · snap · bay · content · arm

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. rule — government
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. content — the amount
  7. pit — a hole
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. rule — a law
  10. track — a path
  11. snap — to click
  12. content — happy
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. track — a song
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. pit — in a race
  24. track — to keep track

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