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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  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. arm — a part of something
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. spell — magic
  4. bass — the fish
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. squash — the sport
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. spell — a short time
  9. squash — to crush
  10. degree — an amount
  11. capital — money
  12. court — of law
  13. bass — low music
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. court — for sport
  17. degree — temperature
  18. degree — from a university
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. capital — a city
  21. court — of a king
  22. spell — letters
  23. capital — a big letter
  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