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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: cue · arm · object · race · safe · present · date · last

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. cue — a signal
  3. race — humankind
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. last — final
  7. date — the fruit
  8. present — the time now
  9. last — to go on
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. cue — for pool
  12. object — to protest
  13. race — a contest
  14. object — an aim
  15. present — a gift
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. race — the arms race
  19. last — finally
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. cue — a hint
  24. present — there

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