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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. ground — crushed
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. ground — the earth
  8. fork — in a road
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. ground — a position
  11. mine — for digging
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. content — happy
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. content — the amount
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. drill — a practice
  19. bass — low music
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. drill — army training
  22. drill — the tool
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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