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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: race · staff · saw · mine · last · swing · suit · arm

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. swing — to play on
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. race — the arms race
  5. suit — clothes
  6. suit — to fit
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. race — a contest
  9. staff — employees
  10. last — to go on
  11. last — finally
  12. staff — a stick
  13. mine — for digging
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. last — final
  17. swing — in golf
  18. staff — employees
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. race — humankind
  21. saw — the tool
  22. suit — in cards
  23. swing — music
  24. saw — the tool

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