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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. bass — low music
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. cell — in biology
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. squash — to crush
  12. cell — a phone
  13. snap — to click
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. chair — a leader
  17. race — a contest
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. race — humankind
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. bass — the fish
  24. squash — the sport

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