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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. march — the month
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. race — the arms race
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. field — for sport
  11. staff — employees
  12. march — music
  13. net — in sport
  14. net — for catching
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. field — a subject
  17. saw — the tool
  18. race — a contest
  19. march — the month
  20. saw — the tool
  21. race — humankind
  22. staff — a stick
  23. field — farmland
  24. net — after costs

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