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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. band — a ring
  3. current — of water
  4. bound — certain
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. band — a music group
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. roll — a list
  9. race — a contest
  10. race — humankind
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. current — happening now
  13. club — for golf
  14. club — for dancing
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. roll — a cake
  17. snap — to click
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. current — electric
  21. bound — tied together
  22. race — the arms race
  23. bound — obliged
  24. club — a group

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