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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. track — a path
  5. race — a contest
  6. race — the arms race
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. bulb — for light
  9. track — a song
  10. bass — the fish
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. bulb — for light
  16. kid — child
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. wax — to grow
  19. bass — low music
  20. track — to keep track
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. stock — shares
  23. stock — goods
  24. race — humankind

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