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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mate — a partner
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. ground — the earth
  5. pass — a permit
  6. mate — a friend
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. ball — a great time
  9. ball — a dance
  10. bass — the fish
  11. ground — crushed
  12. tube — the underground
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. ground — a position
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. mate — to breed
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. bass — low music
  22. tube — a container
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. mine — belonging to me

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