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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bat — the animal
  3. rash — a series
  4. bass — low music
  5. stand — to bear
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. content — happy
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. rash — hasty
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. content — the amount
  14. press — a publisher
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. press — newspapers
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. press — to push
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. stand — for spectators

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