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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 · arm · bass · patient · hand · game · cap · stick

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. hand — in cards
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. cap — a lid
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. race — humankind
  14. game — a match
  15. cap — of ice
  16. bass — the fish
  17. hand — help
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. game — wild animals
  20. cap — a hat
  21. race — a contest
  22. race — the arms race
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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