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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'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. stand — to bear
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. object — an aim
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. object — to protest
  7. capital — a city
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. object — a thing
  12. bass — the fish
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. squash — to crush
  16. bass — low music
  17. wound — an injury
  18. capital — money
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. squash — the sport
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. arm — part of the body

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