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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. race — humankind
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. bank — for money
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. hand — help
  8. rash — a series
  9. kid — to tease
  10. race — the arms race
  11. bank — of a river
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. race — a contest
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. season — of the year
  17. rash — hasty
  18. kid — child
  19. kick — in football
  20. season — in sport
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. bank — for money

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