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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 120 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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. rash — a series
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. pass — a permit
  8. file — a tool
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. kick — in football
  11. cue — a signal
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. race — humankind
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. rash — hasty
  16. cue — for pool
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. file — a document
  19. race — the arms race
  20. cue — a hint
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. race — a contest
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. file — a line of people

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