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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. land — ground
  3. ball — a great time
  4. land — to come down
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. bear — the animal
  7. ball — a dance
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. land — a country
  12. scale — size or range
  13. bass — low music
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. scale — in music
  18. bass — the fish
  19. vault — a safe
  20. bear — the animal
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. content — the amount
  24. content — happy

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