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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  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 — a part of something
  2. content — happy
  3. scale — size or range
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. roll — a list
  9. roll — a cake
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. scale — in music
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. bass — low music
  23. content — the amount
  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