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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. squash — the sport
  4. prune — to trim
  5. key — the most important part
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. key — for a lock
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. race — the arms race
  10. squash — to crush
  11. file — a document
  12. file — a tool
  13. rock — a stone
  14. race — humankind
  15. rock — music
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. race — a contest
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. file — a line of people
  21. key — in music
  22. prune — to trim
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. arm — a part of something

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