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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. race — the arms race
  6. cold — an illness
  7. present — there
  8. field — farmland
  9. race — humankind
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. field — for sport
  15. cold — not warm
  16. race — a contest
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. field — a subject
  21. present — a gift
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. present — the time now
  24. nail — for a hammer

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