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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. race — the arms race
  3. court — for sport
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. race — humankind
  7. shower — to wash
  8. capital — money
  9. court — of a king
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. court — of law
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. net — for catching
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. net — after costs
  20. capital — a city
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. shower — rain
  23. net — in sport
  24. race — a contest

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