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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: ruler · race · toast · bark · cue · mark · capital · arm

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. cue — for pool
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. race — the arms race
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. mark — a trace
  9. capital — money
  10. race — a contest
  11. cue — a hint
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. cue — a signal
  17. bark — to shout
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. mark — a grade
  20. toast — bread
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. capital — a city
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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