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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. bass — low music
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. bass — the fish
  5. wind — moving air
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. wind — moving air
  8. stand — to bear
  9. march — music
  10. tear — from crying
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. fine — all right
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. tear — to rip
  16. march — the month
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. march — the month
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. fine — high quality
  21. tear — from crying
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. cabinet — ministers

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