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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. face — part of the head
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bass — low music
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. chest — of your body
  7. net — for catching
  8. mug — a cup
  9. net — in sport
  10. file — a tool
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. chest — a box
  13. mug — to rob
  14. file — a line of people
  15. row — to paddle
  16. file — a document
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. row — a line
  19. mug — a face
  20. face — to point toward
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. chest — of your body
  23. net — after costs
  24. face — to confront

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