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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: season · cue · arm · race · plane · nail · march · wind

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. race — a contest
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. march — music
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. season — in sport
  12. race — humankind
  13. wind — moving air
  14. march — the month
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. cue — a hint
  17. plane — a tool
  18. march — the month
  19. cue — for pool
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. season — of the year
  23. cue — a signal
  24. plane — in geometry

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