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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. ground — a position
  5. race — a contest
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. bass — low music
  8. ground — crushed
  9. cold — an illness
  10. cue — a hint
  11. mate — a friend
  12. cue — a signal
  13. cold — not warm
  14. cue — for pool
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. race — humankind
  17. rush — hurry
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. race — the arms race
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. bass — the fish
  22. mate — to breed
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. mate — a partner

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