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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: last · dip · arm · rash · land · bat · race · ruler

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  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. race — a contest
  2. race — humankind
  3. last — finally
  4. dip — to sink
  5. race — the arms race
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. land — ground
  9. rash — hasty
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. rash — a series
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. bat — the animal
  14. last — to go on
  15. land — to come down
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. land — a country
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. last — final
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. rash — on the skin
  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