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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. branch — a division
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. ground — the earth
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. pound — a weight
  16. bass — the fish
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. ground — crushed
  23. ground — a position
  24. kick — in football

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