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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 · wax · ruler · squash · season · arm · bat · pitch

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. pitch — completely
  5. race — the arms race
  6. bat — the animal
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. race — humankind
  11. season — in sport
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. season — of the year
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. race — a contest
  19. squash — to crush
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. wax — to grow
  22. squash — the sport
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. arm — a part of something

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