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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. pit — a hole
  5. toast — bread
  6. pit — in a race
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. prune — to trim
  10. cell — a phone
  11. prune — to trim
  12. shower — to wash
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. cell — in biology
  15. key — in music
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. key — the most important part
  18. bass — low music
  19. bass — the fish
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. key — for a lock
  22. shower — rain
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. prune — the fruit

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