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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. mate — a friend
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. band — a music group
  5. can — a tin
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. band — a ring
  9. race — humankind
  10. can — to be able to
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. race — the arms race
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. can — a tin
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. race — a contest
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. mate — to breed
  23. mate — a partner
  24. mine — for digging

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