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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. net — for catching
  3. bear — the animal
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. pass — a permit
  6. net — in sport
  7. hand — in cards
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. march — music
  11. bear — the animal
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. march — the month
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. march — the month
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. swing — music
  18. swing — to play on
  19. hand — help
  20. swing — in golf
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. net — after costs
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. arm — a part of something

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