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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. race — a contest
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. race — humankind
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bass — low music
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bass — the fish
  14. race — the arms race
  15. kick — in football
  16. snap — to click
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. date — the fruit
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. kick — a thrill

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