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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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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: stick · race · chest · current · calf · club · band · cue

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — of your body
  4. club — for golf
  5. current — electric
  6. club — a group
  7. chest — a box
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. race — humankind
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. cue — a signal
  14. current — happening now
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. cue — a hint
  18. current — of water
  19. cue — for pool
  20. band — a ring
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. club — for dancing
  23. band — a music group
  24. race — a contest

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