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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. firm — a company
  5. band — a ring
  6. charge — in control
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. charge — a price
  9. bass — the fish
  10. game — wild animals
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. game — a match
  13. kid — to tease
  14. net — after costs
  15. bass — low music
  16. net — in sport
  17. firm — steady
  18. charge — electricity
  19. band — a music group
  20. net — for catching
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. firm — decided
  24. kid — child

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