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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. pop — to visit
  4. chest — a box
  5. pop — soda
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. band — a ring
  8. race — the arms race
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. pop — music
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. chest — of your body
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. chest — of your body
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. race — a contest
  17. root — of a word
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. deal — to handle
  20. plane — a tool
  21. race — humankind
  22. root — of a plant
  23. root — the cause
  24. band — a music group

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