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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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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: rock · current · chest · foot · arm · race · band · pitcher

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. band — a music group
  3. current — of water
  4. chest — of your body
  5. current — happening now
  6. chest — a box
  7. current — electric
  8. race — humankind
  9. rock — music
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. band — a ring
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. rock — a stone
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. race — a contest
  19. foot — a measure
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. race — the arms race

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