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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: spell · land · deal · can · race · hand · club · arm

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. land — ground
  3. race — humankind
  4. club — a group
  5. land — a country
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. hand — in cards
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. club — for dancing
  10. can — a tin
  11. land — to come down
  12. can — a tin
  13. race — a contest
  14. deal — to handle
  15. spell — magic
  16. club — for golf
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. spell — a short time
  21. race — the arms race
  22. spell — letters
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. hand — help

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