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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 120 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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. race — humankind
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. band — a ring
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. race — a contest
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. key — in music
  14. season — in sport
  15. sharp — clever
  16. key — for a lock
  17. band — a music group
  18. game — wild animals
  19. lie — to recline
  20. key — the most important part
  21. season — of the year
  22. race — the arms race
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. game — a match

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