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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. race — a contest
  3. race — the arms race
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. spring — the season
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. cold — an illness
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. spring — of water
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. spring — a coil
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. race — humankind
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. cold — not warm
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. jam — a tight spot

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