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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. bass — the fish
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. cap — a lid
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. degree — from a university
  9. cap — of ice
  10. bass — low music
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wound — an injury
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. wound — an injury
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. degree — an amount
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. cap — a hat
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. degree — temperature
  24. bass — the instrument

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