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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. club — for dancing
  4. last — final
  5. ball — a great time
  6. kid — child
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. race — a contest
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. rush — hurry
  11. club — a group
  12. last — to go on
  13. saw — the tool
  14. race — humankind
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. saw — the tool
  19. kid — to tease
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. race — the arms race
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. ball — a dance
  24. club — for golf

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