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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rush · arm · ball · mate · race · pitcher · mug · clip

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. mate — to breed
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. ball — a dance
  7. mate — a friend
  8. ball — a great time
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. race — the arms race
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. clip — for paper
  13. race — a contest
  14. race — humankind
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. rush — hurry
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. mug — a face
  19. mug — to rob
  20. clip — to cut
  21. mate — a partner
  22. clip — a video
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. mug — a cup

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