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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. foot — a measure
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. spell — magic
  7. race — the arms race
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — a short time
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. dip — to sink
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. race — a contest
  16. band — a ring
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. race — humankind
  22. band — a music group
  23. mine — for digging
  24. mine — an explosive

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