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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. season — of the year
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. mine — for digging
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. season — in sport
  12. squash — the sport
  13. squash — to crush
  14. bass — low music
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. root — of a word
  18. root — of a plant
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bass — the fish
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. foot — a measure
  23. root — the cause
  24. squash — the vegetable

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