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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. degree — from a university
  4. charge — electricity
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. tube — the underground
  7. charge — in control
  8. chest — of your body
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. craft — a skill
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. chest — of your body
  14. degree — temperature
  15. chest — a box
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. tube — a container
  19. charge — a price
  20. craft — boats
  21. degree — an amount
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. craft — a handicraft

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