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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. clip — to cut
  4. race — the arms race
  5. race — a contest
  6. stem — to come from
  7. clip — for paper
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. ground — the earth
  11. rush — hurry
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. pitch — completely
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. ground — a position
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. clip — a video
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. ground — crushed
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. race — humankind
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. ruler — for measuring

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