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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. race — a contest
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. band — a ring
  8. rule — a law
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. race — the arms race
  13. pound — a weight
  14. band — a music group
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. spell — magic
  18. spell — letters
  19. chair — a leader
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. spell — a short time
  22. race — humankind
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. rule — government

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