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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. net — after costs
  4. band — a ring
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. game — wild animals
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. race — a contest
  10. lie — to recline
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bound — obliged
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. band — a music group
  15. perch — the fish
  16. net — in sport
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. race — the arms race
  19. bound — certain
  20. game — a match
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. net — for catching
  24. lie — an untruth

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