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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 · mouse · nail · ground · swing · date · roll · arm

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. swing — to play on
  5. race — the arms race
  6. ground — crushed
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. swing — in golf
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. race — humankind
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. race — a contest
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. roll — a list
  17. date — the fruit
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. swing — music
  20. ground — the earth
  21. ground — a position
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. roll — a cake

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