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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. bound — tied together
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. fork — in a road
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. last — finally
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. mark — a grade
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. shower — to wash
  13. last — final
  14. bass — low music
  15. bound — certain
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. bass — the fish
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. last — to go on
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. pitch — completely
  23. mark — a trace
  24. shower — rain

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