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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: jam · arm · kick · march · roll · tube · race · bowl

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. march — music
  4. kick — in football
  5. tube — a container
  6. race — a contest
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. roll — a cake
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. march — the month
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. tube — the underground
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. march — the month
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. race — the arms race
  21. roll — a list
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. race — humankind
  24. roll — on a roll

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