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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: hand · band · pit · fall · drill · arm · root · race

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. hand — in cards
  3. hand — help
  4. pit — a hole
  5. drill — a practice
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. root — the cause
  8. fall — to drop
  9. root — of a word
  10. band — a music group
  11. pit — in a race
  12. band — a ring
  13. race — a contest
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. root — of a plant
  18. fall — the season
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. race — humankind
  21. fall — to drop
  22. drill — army training
  23. drill — the tool
  24. hand — part of the body

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