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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: race · kid · squash · arm · mark · dip · wind · bass

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. wind — moving air
  3. mark — a grade
  4. bass — low music
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. squash — to crush
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. kid — child
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. wind — moving air
  12. dip — to sink
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. mark — a trace
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. bass — the fish
  17. kid — to tease
  18. race — the arms race
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. race — humankind
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. race — a contest
  24. squash — the sport

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