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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 120 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 play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. race — the arms race
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. race — humankind
  5. spring — of water
  6. chip — for betting
  7. spring — the season
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bass — low music
  10. shower — to wash
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. spring — a coil
  13. shower — rain
  14. chip — to eat
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bore — to tire
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. race — a contest
  21. pass — a permit
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. bore — to drill
  24. arm — a part of something

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