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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. mug — to rob
  3. tear — to rip
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. club — for golf
  6. tear — from crying
  7. club — for dancing
  8. club — a group
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. mug — a cup
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. mug — a face
  14. race — humankind
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. bass — the fish
  17. tear — from crying
  18. race — the arms race
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. bass — low 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