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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. object — a thing
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. land — to come down
  7. content — happy
  8. land — ground
  9. object — to protest
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. band — a ring
  14. race — a contest
  15. land — a country
  16. race — humankind
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. board — to get on
  19. race — the arms race
  20. board — a committee
  21. band — a music group
  22. content — the amount
  23. hand — in cards
  24. hand — help

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