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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. race — humankind
  3. current — electric
  4. mate — a partner
  5. kid — child
  6. hand — in cards
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. hand — help
  9. drill — a practice
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. mate — to breed
  12. race — the arms race
  13. toast — bread
  14. current — of water
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. drill — the tool
  17. current — happening now
  18. race — a contest
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. mate — a friend
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. drill — army training
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. kid — to tease

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