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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. saw — the tool
  4. race — a contest
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. race — humankind
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. race — the arms race
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. saw — the tool
  13. stem — to come from
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. shower — rain
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. bass — low music
  18. roll — a cake
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. roll — a list
  22. shower — to wash
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bass — the fish

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