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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 120 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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. hand — help
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hand — in cards
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. land — a country
  11. key — the most important part
  12. key — in music
  13. land — to come down
  14. key — for a lock
  15. rash — hasty
  16. bass — the fish
  17. land — ground
  18. bass — low music
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. swing — to play on
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. swing — in golf
  24. swing — music

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