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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. suit — in cards
  5. race — humankind
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. rash — a series
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. race — the arms race
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. suit — clothes
  13. kick — in football
  14. race — a contest
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. suit — to fit
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. rush — hurry
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. kid — child
  23. rash — hasty
  24. nail — on a finger

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