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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. pop — music
  5. race — the arms race
  6. swing — to play on
  7. bound — tied together
  8. pop — to visit
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. last — finally
  11. swing — in golf
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. bound — obliged
  17. foot — a measure
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. last — to go on
  20. race — humankind
  21. swing — music
  22. pop — soda
  23. race — a contest
  24. bound — certain

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