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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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. court — of law
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bass — the fish
  5. season — in sport
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. court — for sport
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. season — of the year
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. bass — low music
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — an injury
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. rest — what's left
  19. court — of a king
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. saw — the tool
  22. rest — what's left
  23. deal — to handle
  24. arm — 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