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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. race — humankind
  4. fork — in a road
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — what's left
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. cell — in biology
  11. bass — the fish
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. cell — a phone
  14. race — the arms race
  15. race — a contest
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bass — low music
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. rest — a break
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. lash — an eyelash

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