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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. race — a contest
  6. cue — a signal
  7. hand — in cards
  8. cell — a phone
  9. shower — to wash
  10. race — humankind
  11. cell — in biology
  12. cue — a hint
  13. race — the arms race
  14. cue — for pool
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. shower — rain
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. cell — in a prison

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