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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. chair — a leader
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. sharp — clever
  10. track — a song
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. bass — low music
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. track — to keep track
  15. last — to go on
  16. bass — the fish
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. last — finally
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. track — a path
  24. last — final

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