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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: can · race · rule · swing · arm · wound · wave · chest

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. rule — a law
  3. race — humankind
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. wound — an injury
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. race — the arms race
  10. can — a tin
  11. rule — government
  12. chest — of your body
  13. can — a tin
  14. race — a contest
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chest — a box
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. swing — music
  20. can — to be able to
  21. wound — an injury
  22. swing — to play on
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. swing — in golf

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