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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. plane — a tool
  8. race — humankind
  9. race — a contest
  10. cold — an illness
  11. cold — not warm
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. saw — the tool
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. saw — the tool
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. plane — in geometry

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