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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. present — the time now
  3. hand — in cards
  4. cold — not warm
  5. charge — electricity
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. charge — in control
  10. bass — low music
  11. charge — a price
  12. present — a gift
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. hand — help
  15. wax — to grow
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. pitch — completely
  22. present — there
  23. bass — the fish
  24. wax — in the ear

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