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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. object — an aim
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bass — the fish
  6. object — to protest
  7. pop — to visit
  8. pop — soda
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. wind — moving air
  12. march — music
  13. object — a thing
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pop — music
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. wind — moving air

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