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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. mine — for digging
  4. pass — a permit
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. race — humankind
  8. can — a tin
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. race — the arms race
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. race — a contest
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. can — a tin
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. content — happy
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. content — the amount
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. can — to be able to

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