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

Word bank: race · bulb · mark · club · calf · file · arm · last

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. last — final
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. club — for dancing
  6. race — humankind
  7. file — a line of people
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — for light
  10. last — to go on
  11. race — a contest
  12. last — finally
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. mark — a grade
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. club — for golf
  17. file — a document
  18. file — a tool
  19. mark — a trace
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. race — the arms race

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