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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. last — final
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. race — the arms race
  6. kick — in football
  7. last — finally
  8. rest — what's left
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. rash — a series
  11. hand — in cards
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. race — humankind
  14. rest — a break
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. race — a contest
  17. hand — help
  18. last — to go on
  19. rash — hasty
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. rest — what's left
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. safe — out of danger

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