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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 120 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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. drill — a practice
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. drill — army training
  8. bank — of a river
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. court — for sport
  13. rock — music
  14. bank — for money
  15. drill — the tool
  16. race — humankind
  17. race — a contest
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. rock — a stone
  21. court — of law
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. race — the arms race
  24. court — of a king

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