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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 put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. court — of law
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bass — the fish
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. chair — a leader
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. object — to protest
  12. object — an aim
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. court — of a king
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. bass — low music
  17. object — a thing
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. sharp — clever
  20. court — for sport
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bat — the animal

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