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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. band — a music group
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. rest — what's left
  6. band — a ring
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. rest — what's left
  9. race — the arms race
  10. race — humankind
  11. chip — for betting
  12. plane — a tool
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. rest — a break
  19. chip — to eat
  20. race — a contest
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. plane — an aircraft

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