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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. ground — a position
  4. race — humankind
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. clip — to cut
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. chest — of your body
  10. clip — for paper
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. pop — music
  13. band — a ring
  14. pop — to visit
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. pop — soda
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. clip — a video
  19. race — the arms race
  20. chest — a box
  21. ground — crushed
  22. chest — of your body
  23. ground — the earth
  24. race — a contest

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