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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. ground — the earth
  3. ground — crushed
  4. race — the arms race
  5. race — a contest
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. race — humankind
  9. rash — a series
  10. plane — a tool
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. roll — a cake
  15. ground — a position
  16. roll — a list
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. cue — a hint
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. rash — hasty
  22. scale — in music
  23. cue — for pool
  24. scale — size or range

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