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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: last · arm · race · press · spell · club · wave · staff

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. club — for golf
  3. race — the arms race
  4. club — a group
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — a stick
  8. last — finally
  9. last — final
  10. press — a publisher
  11. press — to push
  12. spell — letters
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. race — a contest
  16. press — newspapers
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. race — humankind
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. spell — a short time
  21. last — to go on
  22. club — for dancing
  23. spell — magic
  24. staff — employees

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