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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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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: arm · land · race · suit · rock · sharp · clip · bass

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. clip — to cut
  3. clip — for paper
  4. race — humankind
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. suit — clothes
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bass — the fish
  10. clip — a video
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. suit — in cards
  13. land — a country
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. race — the arms race
  16. rock — a stone
  17. sharp — clever
  18. bass — low music
  19. race — a contest
  20. land — to come down
  21. land — ground
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. rock — music
  24. arm — a part of something

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