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

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. staff — a stick
  3. staff — employees
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. season — of the year
  6. staff — employees
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. swing — in golf
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. race — the arms race
  11. race — humankind
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. race — a contest
  15. swing — to play on
  16. season — in sport
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. swing — music

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