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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 play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  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. bass — the instrument
  2. sharp — clever
  3. bass — low music
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. lean — to bend
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. bass — the fish
  13. race — the arms race
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. lean — thin
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — the animal
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. race — a contest
  23. race — humankind
  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