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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. race — the arms race
  4. game — a match
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. race — a contest
  7. rock — music
  8. mine — for digging
  9. game — wild animals
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. wind — moving air
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. race — humankind
  15. row — a line
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. rock — a stone
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. row — to paddle
  24. wind — to turn a key

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