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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. race — the arms race
  3. race — a contest
  4. race — humankind
  5. root — of a plant
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. kid — child
  8. kid — to tease
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. band — a ring
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. root — the cause
  13. fall — to drop
  14. root — of a word
  15. fall — the season
  16. band — a music group
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. sharp — clever
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. fall — to drop
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. band — a rubber band

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