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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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468
Word bank
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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'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. race — a contest
  4. key — in music
  5. race — humankind
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. craft — boats
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. fork — in a road
  10. key — the most important part
  11. spell — a short time
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. craft — a skill
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. chest — a box
  17. key — for a lock
  18. band — a ring
  19. spell — letters
  20. band — a music group
  21. chest — of your body
  22. race — the arms race
  23. chest — of your body
  24. spell — magic

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