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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 coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. net — after costs
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. net — in sport
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. race — humankind
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. net — for catching
  11. wind — moving air
  12. board — to get on
  13. board — a committee
  14. race — the arms race
  15. swing — to play on
  16. swing — music
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. rash — hasty
  19. race — a contest
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. wind — moving air
  23. rash — a series
  24. arm — a part of something

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