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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. race — a contest
  5. bank — of a river
  6. roll — a cake
  7. race — the arms race
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. march — the month
  11. race — humankind
  12. march — music
  13. bank — for money
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. file — a line of people
  16. roll — a list
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. file — a document
  19. file — a tool
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. bank — for money
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. march — the month
  24. vault — a safe

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