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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  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. fork — to eat with
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. cold — an illness
  4. bass — low music
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. cell — in biology
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. bass — the fish
  11. cell — a phone
  12. band — a music group
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. band — a ring
  16. fork — in a road
  17. cold — not warm
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. pitcher — a jug
  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