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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. bass — the fish
  4. race — a contest
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. cold — not warm
  7. saw — the tool
  8. race — humankind
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. bass — low music
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. race — the arms race
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. roll — a cake
  21. cold — an illness
  22. roll — a list
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. plane — a tool

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