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

Word bank: arm · bat · jam · race · pass · mine · snap · dip

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. race — humankind
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. race — the arms race
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. snap — to click
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. pass — a permit
  16. dip — to sink
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. race — a contest
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. arm — part of the body

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