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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 120 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: stem · race · last · content · kick · arm · file · ball

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. last — finally
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. stem — to come from
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. ball — a dance
  8. file — a document
  9. file — a line of people
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. kick — in football
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. ball — a great time
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. last — to go on
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. file — a tool
  19. race — a contest
  20. last — final
  21. race — the arms race
  22. content — happy
  23. content — the amount
  24. race — humankind

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