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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. race — the arms race
  3. hand — in cards
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — help
  6. rush — hurry
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. spring — a coil
  9. band — a ring
  10. race — a contest
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. chip — for betting
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. net — for catching
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. net — in sport
  19. race — humankind
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. net — after costs
  22. spring — the season
  23. chip — to eat
  24. spring — of water

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