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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. ball — a dance
  3. net — for catching
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. bass — low music
  6. file — a tool
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. ball — a great time
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. net — in sport
  13. pop — music
  14. file — a line of people
  15. pop — soda
  16. mate — a partner
  17. bass — the fish
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. file — a document
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. pop — to visit
  22. mate — to breed
  23. net — after costs
  24. arm — part of the body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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