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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 120 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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. ground — the earth
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. march — music
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. pass — a permit
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. ground — a position
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. cell — a phone
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. march — the month
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. ground — crushed
  16. swing — in golf
  17. cell — in biology
  18. swing — music
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. tube — the underground
  21. swing — to play on
  22. march — the month
  23. tube — a container
  24. arm — part of the body

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