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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. bass — the fish
  4. drill — the tool
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. drill — a practice
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. staff — a stick
  9. bass — low music
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. staff — employees
  12. pit — in a race
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. shower — to wash
  16. shower — rain
  17. drill — army training
  18. staff — employees
  19. season — in sport
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. pit — a hole
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. season — of the year
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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