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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. snap — to click
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. race — the arms race
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. bulb — for light
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. bulb — for light
  14. chair — a leader
  15. race — humankind
  16. band — a ring
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. race — a contest
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. band — a rubber band

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