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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'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. row — a line
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. game — wild animals
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. firm — decided
  7. bass — low music
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. firm — a company
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. plane — a tool
  19. firm — steady
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. dip — to sink
  22. row — to paddle
  23. game — a match
  24. bass — the fish

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