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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. firm — a company
  4. rush — hurry
  5. roll — a list
  6. race — humankind
  7. race — the arms race
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. shower — to wash
  14. shower — rain
  15. roll — a cake
  16. bank — for money
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. firm — steady
  19. firm — decided
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. bank — for money
  22. race — a contest
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. bank — of a river

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