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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. race — humankind
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. roll — a list
  13. rash — hasty
  14. roll — a cake
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. race — the arms race
  20. ball — a dance
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. rash — a series
  24. race — a contest

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